


Unexpected.

by AVT



Category: HIM (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Complicated Relationships, F/M, Falling In Love, Finland (Country), Love, Love at First Sight, Music, Original Character(s), Pennsylvania, Rock and Roll, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-07-06 17:01:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 38,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15890271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AVT/pseuds/AVT
Summary: In this tale as old as time, two opposites lives are about to be intertwined.Klara Stocke is a hard-working and ambitious photographer from a Small town in Pennsylvania that doesn't give herself the time to think twice about social interactions much less romance. Ville Valo is a well known Singer and Songwriter in Finland that's been at the bottom of the bottle and finds himself lovesick in the blink of an eye.A business trip and Chance has brought the two unexpectedly together and Ville is falling fast but Marley is still unsure. Does love really conquer all?





	1. The Stranger.

"Flight number 1589 direct from Pittsburgh international airport to Helsinki International Airport will be departing in 5 minutes from gate 16A."

The departure announcement came over the intercom and reached Marley who was across the airport in line for coffee. 

This is Marley Stocke. Perpetually late. 

"Shit. I thought I had more time." Marley mumbled under her breath and began to run across the airport without her coffee. 

"Miss!" The barista shouted with Marley's cup in hand. 

"I don't have time!" Marley shouted back, already 10 feet away. "Enjoy my coffee!"

Marley barely made it in the knick of time and skidded to a halt at the boarding gate and began to dig her ticket out of her back pack. 

"You are seat number 36, Have a great flight-.."

"Thank you!" Marley said, cutting off the flight attendant and began to run again down the hall. Trudging up the steps and into the plane a wave of nervousness hit Marley. The same nerves she's dealt with every flight over the past 5 years before take off.

She found seat number 36 and thanked the heavens that it was a window seat. She pulled her cellphone and headphones out of her back pack, shoved it in the overhead compartment and sat in her seat just as the flight announcements began.

"Thank you for flying Delta, please fasten your seat belts and turn your phones off or set them to Airplane mode.- " Was all Marley heard before she already had her headphones in. She was already aware of the protocol after flying so many times over the years.

The plane started to ascend and she held her breath like she always does at the beginning of every flight and metally prepared herself for being 30,000 feet in the air for the next 12 hours. The plane finally evened out after what always feels like an eternity. She chewed her lip like she always has when nervous and looked out of the window. 

When the sun started to set she finally gave into her heavy eyelids and dozed off. She slept through the rest of the flight until the Landing announcements started. She groggily pulled her backpack out of the overhead and made her way onto new land.

She gathered her one bag at the luggage department, silently thanked herself for learning to travel light and made her way out of the airport to wait for the cab she called for in her best broken Finnish.  The cold air stung her cheeks and nose. Colder climates were always her favorite. 

She slipped into the cab when it arrived and handed the driver the address to the hotel she'll be staying at for the next few weeks. On the drive there she couldn't help but notice how different and beautiful the architecture was. The buildings were a mixture of modern and classic from centuries past.

She took a mental note of where one of the many coffees shops were so she could get her caffeine fix later on and a cozy looking book store she'd like to explore. 

She checked in at the hotel and made her way up to her room. She hated elevators almost just as much as she hated to fly. She dropped everything in her hands by the door after walking into her room and collapsed onto her bed. She realized as her head hit the pillow that she hadn't let anyone back home know that she landed safely. Marley pulled herself off of the bed to fumble around in her bag for her cell phone. 

"Hello?" Lina Stocke asked with a hint of her romanian accent still in tact. She somehow held onto it after living decades in the states. 

"Hey mom, just wanted to let you know I've been kidnapped by strange Finnish men in ski masks."

"That's not funny! I can't wait until you are a mother."

"I love you, mother dear. Calm down. I'm fine. The plane landed without a hitch and I'm already in my room."

"You're going to frazzle what's left of my nerves, child. I swear."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do so. I just wanted to let you know I made it safely, mother mine. I'm going to rest for a while and I'll call you tomorrow. I love you to the moon and back."

"Bye for now my sweet! I love you so very much more. Goodbye."

Marley caught site of herself in the mirror and realized the state of her appearance and let out a loud sigh. She searched high and low in her backpack until she found a rubber band and began to pull back the long dark brown mess others called hair, making sure she didn't miss any loose strands. She stared at herself a couple of minutes, making note of the dark shadows that were under her eyes and the small faded scar on her left cheekbone from childhood and let out another loud exasperated sigh.

She gave up ridiculing her appearance after a couple of minutes and laid back down on the bed and without meaning to slipped back into sleep.

Marley woke up 2 and a half hours later groggy and confused. She got out of bed, stretched and began digging in her bag for her worn in jeans and stumbled into the bathroom. She re pulled back her hair into a high mussed bun and pulled back on the navy converses she had kicked off when she walked through the door earlier that day. 

It was time for coffee if she was going to get any work done. She pulled back on her jacket grabbed her camera bag and headed out of the door. Nearly forgetting her room key in the process, she had to run back in for before the door shut and shoved it into her pocket. 

She knew she had only had a few weeks here and wanted to start covering ground. When she stepped outside and into the Nordic cold her teeth were immediately chattering. It was like Christmas for her. Marley decided to head towards the coffee shop she saw on her way in, regretting that she forgot her gloves. 

While making her way to the coffee shop she spotted earlier she kept getting side tracked by all of the sights. Everything was a wonderful culture shock. Her favorite part of travelling was learning about the new cultures. The older the culture, the more interesting to her.

She walked briskly towards the shop, looking forward to warming her bones with coffee. Marley decided to take a couple more photos then head inside before she lost a few fingers to the elements. Before she reached for the door handle she had a nagging feeling that someone was staring at her. She began to scan her surroundings for an explanation.

When she looked over her shoulder she spotted the culprit. He was sitting outside at one of the tables on the patio, sipping from a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette. But when their eyes met he almost dropped his cup. He knew he had been busted.

He had dark messy hair just chin length peaking out from underneath his dark beanie, high cheekbones and large, almost cat like green eyes. He had an intricate sleeved tattoo on one arm. She realized he was definitely a local because he was sitting outside in only a dark T shirt and jeans while she was huddled in a jacket. 

He blushed a deep shade of crimson realizing just how hard he has been observing this stranger. She looked to him very out of place in her Finnish surroundings, being on the shorter side of height and having an olive complexion. 

She finally managed to pull her eyes away and shuffled herself in the coffee shop and to the sanctuary of the warmth.

After trying to order her coffee in Finnish and finally having success she made her way to a quiet corner table and repeatedly found herself spacing out while trying to review the photos she took on the way. Her mind kept going back to the stranger that was so intent on staring at her. She came back to earth realizing that the barista had been calling out her name, the best way she could pronounce it. 

She was fiddling with her coffee cup when she was suddenly startled by a deep, smoky voice. She never noticed when the tall, thin Finn she caught staring earlier had approached her. His intentions were to apologize for the blatant look over he subjected her to.

"I'm sorry for startling you, and then startling you again." the stranger said in perfect english with a slight accent. "I apologize for appearing rude."

Marley still a little shaken up asked, "How did you know I would speak english?"

"Most people snapping pictures are tourists." He answered mid giggle. "And also that sticker of the states on you camera bag kind of gave it away." 

"That would explain a lot. It also gives away how hard you were observing as well." she replied with a grin, starting to feel more relaxed about talking to a complete stranger.

He laughed again, reaching out his hand to introduce himself. His hand dwarfed his and she noticed he had on dark nailpolish. "How odd." She thought to herself. 

"Pleasure to meet you Miss, I'm Ville Valo."

"Marley Stocke, pleased to meet you." she said shaking his large hand. "Please, sit."

His eyes met hers and with a spreading grin he sat himself across from her. She mentally agreed with herself that he was attractive. Even the dark circles under his eyes somehow added to the stranger's appeal.

Ville was thoroughly pleased that she seemed completely unawares of his public status in Finland. 

"So do you accept my apology, Miss? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I noticed you looked out of place and sort of became entranced."

"I accept since you are so polite. I was only scared that I was going to be kidnapped for a second."

Ville laughed a raceous laugh and it became contagious as Marley started to laugh her own slightly wheezy laugh.

"So what brings you to this part of the globe, Marley? 

"I was sent here for a few weeks on assignment by a magazine. They hired me to photograph the sites in different parts of Finland for a piece." she replied.

"That sounds like an interesting job. So you travel a lot I take it?"

"Every month I'm somewhere new, with an odd week off here and there. They're already thinking about sending me to the Mediterranean on my next assignment."

"Hmm. Greece. That's a bit of a climate change." Ville replied. "Does it get old for you? I mean never being home." He asked quizzically, knowing touring for himself could be quite taxing at times.

"It gets to me sometimes, but then I think of how bored I'd be in a normal job stuck in an office. Everyday is something new."

Ville replied with a smile, liking her response to his question. He completely understood what constantly being on the road was like after jumping from different countries every week. 

He then glanced at his watch. "I surely hate cutting this conversation short when it was getting interesting but I have an appointment that I have to be off too. It was a pleasure meeting you Miss Marley." Ville said as he shook her hand again. 

"It was nice meeting you too, Mr. Valo. Hope to see a fellow english speaker around again."

"I'm sure I'll see you around soon. Maybe i could give you a tour sometime." He said with a grin before making his way towards the door.

"Well that was interesting." Marley mumbled to herself. She felt intrigued by this Ville Valo. She barely ever got to visit or have conversation, let alone with a member of the opposite sex. Marley decided to make the best of what daylight she had left and wasn't far behind in leaving the coffee shop after Ville.

Just as it started to get dark, Marley finished up for the day and decided to make the trek back to her hotel. She began yawning heavily and wiped the sleepy tears from her eyes while following the GPS on her phone back to her hotel.

Once she was back up in her room she plopped herself down on her bed, trying to convince herself to not think about the stranger from earlier in the day and to do something that evening. She finally decided to get up and shower thinking it would wake her up. When she got out of the shower she slipped on a dark pair of jeans and a worn in flannel shirt and took the braids out of her hair so it would be messy and wavy.

Slipping on her old coffee colored boots and fleece lined jacket she headed out of the door and back into the evening. As a big fan of live music she had previously planned to see a gig from a local and seemingly popular band. She decided it would be fun to try something out of the ordinary and discover a new genre.

When she got there she bought herself a ticket and a beer. She decided to get closer since the crowd was still thin because she was earlier than she expected. After the two opening bands had played she was having fun even though she was alone. She was anxious to see how the last band was, as the saying goes, always save the best for last.

Suddenly she heard a familiar voice say "Hello boys and girls." into the microphone.

"Hm. Couldn't be.." She mumbled to herself.

Suddenly the spotlight flashed onto the singer and the rest of the band. Marley went a little slack jawed when her eyes saw the stranger from earlier in the day with lips near the microphone and eyes scanning the crowd.

"Ville Valo." she said to herself.

He was wearing the same beanie he was wearing at the coffee shop with black eyeliner smudged around his green eyes. The same hand she shook gripping the microphone and suddenly the dark nailpolish on his fingers made sense. She stood there in awe of his voice and onstage presence. Such a change from the seemingly down to earth guy she had met earlier in the day.

She looked around at all of the girls screaming around her. He surprisingly spotted her in the crowd and caught her with her mouth still slightly ajar, trying to take everything in. He made eye contact with her, grinned and continued singing. 

Realizing he had recognized her, she gave him a nervous thumbs up. He let a laugh slip into the microphone. She stayed for a few more songs but decided to leave before the rest of the crowd decided to do the same.

He watched her walking through the crowd to the exit and found himself disappointed that she was leaving before the set was over. Marley was making her way down the sidewalk in a haze from apparently and unknowingly meeting a celebrity earlier that day and decided to detour into a local bar. She made her way to one of the empty bar stools and ordered a beer.

An hour and a half and 4 beers later Marley heard the commotion of a group of people stumbling into the bar and speaking in excited voices. She turned around just in time to see the stranger walking in with the rest of the group. Marley quickly shot the rest of her beer, and asked for another.

Ville took notice of her sitting alone at the bar immediately. He walked up to her as she was quickly drinking her new beer. "Cheers!" he said clanking his glass to hers and surprising her for a third time in one day.

"Is this going to be a thing now? You scaring the crap out of me when I'm alone in public?" Marley asked with a grin she was trying to hold back.

"My apologies, sweetheart." Ville laughed out.

"So I guess you're in a band then?" Marley asked quizzically with a raised eyebrow. "And a pretty popular one. But I mean, I only have the girls screaming to go off of."

He blushed, "I'd like to think it's because of the music." 

"Well I like what I heard. Do you write most of the songs yourself?"

"Well thank you. I do. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart." Ville grinned at her compliment. "Well, I'll let you enjoy your beer before my mates get impatient. And I'll be seeing you around, Marley." He smiled back one last time as he was walking away.

"See you around, Valo." Marley said while watching his thin frame walk back to his bandmates.

She tried to suppress the strange nerves that started at her toes and moved up her spine. For the first time in a long time she felt something magnetic with another.

After 7 beers, Marley paid her tab and walked to the exit so she could begin her half drunken walk back to the hotel. When she opened the door the cold air hit her face and she immediately sobered up and started her walk.

After a couple of tries with her room key and finally having success, she kicked off her boots, practically walked out of her jeans and climbed under the warm comforter. Half drunk and exhausted she set her alarm for the next morning and put her phone charging. 

After she closed her eyes and right before she slipped into a deep sleep the last thing she thought of was his eyes looking into hers and his crooked grin. 

As unexpected as their meeting was, she was just as unexpectedly hooked on the idea of a stranger.


	2. Burning Brightly.

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again." -Sylvia Plath."

The next few days Marley was hoping to run into Ville again to no avail. She kept herself busy taking herself on tours of Helsinki and she even gave herself time to check out that bookstore. Not taking into account that most of the books would be in Finnish. 

She managed to find a copy of "The Bell jar" by Sylvia Plath and read it in the times she wasn't keeping herself busy with work. 

On the third day she woke up and convinced herself to start the routine all over again. She hadn't managed to meet up with Ville again but to her dismay he had been on her mind more than a stranger should. She pushed him back out of her mind and climbed out of the warmth of her bed to get herself dressed.

After a few minutes of scrutinizing her appearance in the mirror like she does every morning, Marley made the decision to go get coffee down the street. She was barely paying attention to her surroundings while making her way down the busy sidewalk. She also failed to notice the tall Finn that spotted her, yet again, through the other pedestrians on the street. 

He decided to say hello and he finally caught up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Marley, still oblivious to someone that close behind her, nearly jumped out of her skin. She reeled around and nearly pommeled the man out of instinct before she saw Ville with his eyes the size of saucers. 

"Are you trying to kill me? And I nearly gave you a bloody lip, you bastard." She said through a laugh. 

She did her best to mask her excitement at seeing him again.

Ville laughed at the small woman's reaction. He stood over 6' and there was no way Marley was over 5'4" he thought to himself.

"You probably would have popped me pretty good if you would have had a ladder on hand." He said through a sideways smirk.

"Very funny." Marley said' swatting at his arm.

"Where are you on your way to, miss?" Ville asked while trying to match strides.

"Well, I was thinking about coffee since I just woke up from a nap, and yourself?"

"Coffee? Ville said through a giggle.  
"You're in Finland. You need something more than that to wake you up and warm your bones. I'm heading to a pub down the street. Why don't you join me?" 

"It's not even past noon. Isn't it a bit early for a pint?"

"There's no such thing." Ville said while grabbing her hand and pulling her down the street to his favorite spot. 

Marley laughed and looked down at the mans hand that was wrapped around her own. His hand dwarfed and nearly completely hid her own. She was glad he had on gloves as her palm began to sweat from the strange nerves that came on whenever she was around him. 

She realized that feeling in the pit of her stomach was butterflies. His green eyes looked down at the petite woman and he smiled. She wondered what was behind the looks he gave her and decided to just go with the flow instead of letting her over thinking mind get the best of her. She just gave him a smile back and tried to keep up with his long legs. 

Once at the pub they grabbed a corner booth and Ville pulled out his pack of smokes, struck a match and lit one to calm the nerves that threatened to erupt every time he looked at her. He decided strike up a casual conversation to get to know her and what she was like.

"Marley. That's an interesting name. Where'd it come from?"

"Well, it's not my real name, Mr. Valo." 

Ville looked pretty confused so she began to explain the story for the umpteenth time.

"When I was a baby they couldn't get me to stop crying for hours. So my dad started putting on different records to try and soothe me with music. He said when he got to his Bob Marley record it was like someone flipped a switch and I finally stopped. That's why my parents began to call me Marley and it caught on with everyone else later on."

"That's pretty interesting." Ville said while laughing, "But that leaves the real question, what is your real name?"

"Oh God." Marley sighed. "Not many people know my real name. I prefer Marley."

"C'monnn." He pleaded.

She took a swig of beer and mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you through your teeth." Ville barely got out with a laugh.

"Klara."

"That's a beautiful name. I don't see anything wrong with it at all."

"It's just not really me. My mom picked it because she thought it was pretty but I don't find it fits me. I think your name sounds pretty interesting, Ville. Does it have a meaning?"

"William is the translation into to english. My parents wanted me to have a good, solid name."

"Well that's pretty cool. I just realized we've been sitting here talking about names for the last 10 minutes." Marley said with an awkward giggle. "How lame."

"Casual conversation and trivial questions are good for getting to know someone, Marley." Ville said while glancing back and forth at her eyes. Trying to gauge her attraction to him without being too straightforward. 

"What made you get into the music business, Ville?"

He tried to hide the chills that went down his spine when she said his name and thankfully she hadn't noticed as far as he knew. 

"It was either doing what I loved or growing up. So I chose the latter. I had too much passion for music to let it go to waste at a nine to five."

"That actually sounds a lot like my work situation. I definitely think you chose the right thing. You have a fantastic vocal range, by the way."

Ville's cheeks turned a little pink at  the compliment she had just given him and he smiled a big crooked smile.

"Klara, I'm going to go out on a wing here. I'm really enjoying your company this afternoon but I think i'd prefer to do something with you outside of a bar room."

Between his smoky voice and the way "Klara" rolled off of his tongue could possibly make her like her birth name. 

"Are you asking me on a date?"

"Well I suppose I am. But you aren't required to say yes. My old heart can take it if you say no." He said pouring on the dramatics while laughing. 

Marley, still surprised at the man's question, finally managed to stammer out "I-I'd be glad to."

"I'll take you to dinner then I'll show you around Helsinki like I told you I would. May I have your number so I we can confirm plans?"

Marley pulled one of the napkins on the table to her and jotted her number down with shaking hands and handed it to Ville, who was taking notice of how nervous she was.

Breaking his train of thought, Marley announced she must be off. 

"I need to catch some more shots before it gets completely dark. I might even be able to get a few good sunset shots." She answered him before he could even ask why.

She promptly stood up and motioned for a friendly hug, immediately regretting it when he started laughing because the height difference made the hug almost impossible.

Ville maintained eye contact with the woman longer than he expected and he could see that it made her nervous. 

Suddenly she was overcome with the urge to kiss him.

Her lips very suddenly met with his, the warmth spread into her cheeks and she could feel them turning a few shades of crimson. The kiss lingered for a few seconds. Not long enough in Marley's mind but then she parted her lips from his.

"Until tomorrow, Mr. Valo."

Marley quickly grabbed her things and began walking back to the street at a rapid pace and only turned around once to look back at him and flash him a smile. The entire time Ville stared at her walking away, still at a loss for words and slack jawed. As was Marley. 

It was very out of her nature to pull such a bold move, but she believed she had the liquid courage to thank. 

Ville pulled the napkin with Marley's shakily written number towards him. 

"Until tomorrow, Klara."


	3. The Date.

"It's just a date."  

Ville was over thinking while plucking at his guitar strings.

He grabbed his cellphone, stared at her number and tried to think of something witty or charming to say.

He started typing; "Hope you are having a wonderful day. Can't wait to see you tonight. :]". 

He immediately erased the entire message. 

He settled on "Haloo, Beautiful stranger. I have a bit of a surprise planned for this evening. Until then, have a wonderful day."

She jumped at the ding of her phone and a wide smile spread across her face. 

"I'm having a good day, thank you. What does this surprise entail?"

"You'll never get it out of me. Until tonight." Ville typed back.

In the meantime Marley decided to mull over her clothing options. She came up disappointed realizing she didn't pack for something as unexpected. She thought about the kiss all morning and wondered if it had been the right move. It felt right in every way but it still tied her stomach into knots. 

This trip is just that, a trip. 

Temporary. 

What would be the use in letting herself fall for someone that lived a world away? 

Marley pushed all of those thoughts out of her mind.

"This is just a date."

Marley finally decided to keep it simple and decided on a maroon V neck sweater she had on hand, dark wash jeans and her gray pea coat. She heard ber phone ding while she was trying to curl her hair and managed to burn her ear because she jumped at the noise.

And her nerves.

"Meet me at the coffee shop at 9:30."

"The coffee shop?" she texted back, intrigued. 

"See you then..."

Marley checked her phone and realized it was already 9:15. She rummaged around for her makeup bag and tried her best not to smudge her mascara while she tried to multitask.

Ville grinned to himself because he had a feeling she would love his surprise. He had been in touch with connections to help him plan and set it up all day. After the kiss last night he decided to pull out all of the stops to be charming. He was turning back into a hopeless romantic after a few years of touring and boozing. He finally decided on his walk to the coffee shop to send her one hint.

"Bring your camera bag along with you, love."

Marley was sort of put off by the request but she grabbed her camera anyways on her way out of the door and shot him a text back whike making her way down the street; 

"Is that my only hint?"

"I'm afraid so. See you in a bit."

Marley's nerves were building as she grew closer to the coffee shop. The familiar feeling of butterflies crept back into her stomach. She spotted Ville through the window and admired her date for a moment.

Marley realized this was the first time she saw him without a beanie and just his curls beautifully disheveled. He had on a dark gray cardigan, dark jeans and a pair of converses. He was fidgeting with the buttons on his cardigan and his green eyes were darting around nervously until they met hers and then he gave her an almost mischievous smile. He got out of his chair immediately and walked towards her outside. 

"Who was staring at who now?" Ville asked Marley before pulling her in for a hug. 

"I.. uh, me." Marley stammered out during the hug. She just wanted to melt into his warmth. But she was quickly pulled out of that thought when his hand grabbed hers and started pulling her in another direction.

"I hate to be in a rush but we're on a schedule of sorts." 

"So cryptic.. Can't you tell me what the big surprise is yet?" Marley asked.

After a decent walk and a lot of questions from Marley he lead her into Esplanade Park where he had one of his friend's help him set up a picnic, including quite a few candles and wine.

"Wow, I don't know what to say... besides how cheesy it is." Marley finally blurted out after a few moments of staring in awe. 

"Well, urm, thanks I guess? Ville responded with a small laugh. "I thought it would make for a pretty different first date.

"Well it definitely is different from the usual staring contest and smoke filled bars." She laughed.

Ville couldn't help but laugh out loud at the truth behind Marley's comment. 

"Well I hope you enjoy it. I had an idea of what I wanted to do but I had little help from my friends wives to set this up. Men aren't as intuitive as women, so I needed a little womanly intuition to help me woo you."

"Well I wouldn't say that. After all, my dad did propose to my mom on a cliff while they were hiking."

"Well he sounds like quite the romantic."

"It would've been. If it hadn't have been pouring rain and if mom wouldn't have been puking all day because of morning sickness."

"True romance, right there." Ville laughed. "I probably should've gave you more of a warning so you could've dressed warmer."

"That would've came in h-h-handy." Marley said chattering her teeth and laughing.

"Well I'm a vegetarian so I didn't know what to pack for a picnic for you so I hope you like cheese pizza and berries. And I also brought a bottle of wine."

"Anything with cheese and wine is just fine with me." 

Marley thought to herself that this was one of the more romantic dates she had been on in a long while. Possibly ever. Romantic, nerve wracking maybe, but it still felt natural. The conversation never wavered and they were near constantly staring into each others eyes, giggling and started trying to throw berries into each others mouths when the wine started kick in.

After they were done with their meal, Ville decided to take her for a walk by the bay. On the walk there he realized he never even asked her age. 

"It's a bit late for that isn't it?" Marley laughed at the question. "I'm 26 and yourself?"

Ville laughed at her response, "28 years young. Now that we've got that out of the way, I told you to bring your camera because I thought you would like to shoot out here at night. There's nothing as beautiful as moonlight hitting water." Ville said as he looked up at the moon.

He heard the camera shutter near him and turned around to see Marley taking a picture of himself under the moonlight. "I could name something quite as beautiful." Marley thought to herself. 

"I can't believe how beautiful you are tonight." Ville blurted out.

"Calm down, Romeo." Marley laughed off the compliment. 

"Very funny." Ville said laughing. "But I was being serious. You are a very beautiful woman."

"Thank you, Ville. I really appreciate that."

"I wish to make you more comfortable around me than nervous. But I'm glad I'm not alone in being a nervous wreck this evening. Everything was splendid. But It's starting to get late. Would you like me to walk you back to your hotel?"

"Sure, if you'd like to walk that far."

"I'd prefer to know you made it in safe." He said, matching paces.

Ville smiled whenever he caught her looking up at him but was very quiet most of the way back while he was trying to decide whether to make a move or not. Finally, he nervously put his arm around Marley and pulled her in to keep her warm, but to also feel her close to him. He felt the happiness radiating in that moment.

Half an hour later and Marley talking out of the top of her tipsy head, telling Ville everything about her home and her parents. He couldn't help but laugh at how animated she was while talking about her life back in the states. 

Which made him nervous to think about. Eventually she would be returning there and he couldn't help but feel nervous, despite the briefness of their knowing each other. He didn't want her to leave. She has been the spark in his otherwise sleepless and drunken rock and roll lifestyle. 

"Well here we are." Ville said nervously.

"We sure are." Marley said with a pout on her face. "I was having fun telling you stories."

Out of shear spontaneity, Ville place his hand behind her neck and slowly pulled her in closer to his face and rubbed his lips against hers until she finally parted hers and kissed him. She swore she felt some sort of jolt of electricity go through her body. 

She had never felt this way kissing anyone before.

"I, urm, sorry." Ville barely managed to stutter, out of breath from the kiss.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Mr. Valo." Marley replied standing on her tiptoes and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Good night, Ville."

Ville's head was still spinning when she began to walk away. She turned around and their eyes met for the last time that night before she walked through the hotel doors. He was left standing there with only a smile. 

And finally, hope in his heart.

 

"One look into a stranger's eyes, and I know where I belong." -The Path.


	4. Surprise.

Marley woke up the next day groggy as usual but still feeling giddy from the night before. She threw on a pair of jeans and braided her hair. She decided to return to the park where she and Ville went on their date the night before. 

There was children playing and a lovely elderly couple sitting on a bench nearby that gave her some really great shots of the local scenery and the natives. Little did she know Ville had something up his sleeve. She stopped by the coffee shop for a break and thought it was odd how the barista kept smiling at her.

When she finally handed Marley her coffee she also handed her a small card. Confused, she decided to sit down to read it.

"Hello, Beautiful. Last night was wonderful and the ending was a lovely surprise. So I've set up a surprise of your own. Return to where we had our picnic last night for the second clue. -Ville"

She half ran out of the shop and made her way back to their spot from last night. When she made it there and the same elderly couple waved her over smiling and handed her a small envelope. Somehow after she left the park Ville managed to ask them to do this. She told them "Kittos." and read it while walking. 

"There's a surprise waiting for you when you get back to your hotel room. Hope you like it, love.- Ville"

That's when she started run-walking back to her room. She was positive she'd have bruises from the camera bag banging around on her back but she didn't even care. She ran into the elevator pushing her floor's button repeatedly even though it wouldn't make it go any faster. 

Finally back in her room she found a bouquet of dark red roses with a card and a dress bag laying next to it. She nearly broke the zipper to see what was inside. It was mid thigh length, fitted and long sleeved in a rosey cream colour. The detailed stitching and buttons down the back were golden. It was gorgeous. The next clue was on the dress.  

It said; "I hope I did a good job guessing what size you are. I know it's the epitome of cheesy but I picked the cream because I knew you'd look angelic in it. This is your last clue. Meet by the stage at Tavastia club, 8:30 sharp. Until then, Klara.- V.V."

As soon as she finished reading the card she bolted to the shower because it was already 6:45. She did her makeup and pinned her hair back in an updo of sorts. She tore her bag apart looking for her dark brown suede flats that would go perfect with the dress.

Finally slipping on the dress she noticed it almost seemed like it was tailored for her, he had done such a good job guessing her size. When she was done getting dressed and stopped making sure you couldn't see her panties through the light coloured material it was already 8:17. By the time she got downstairs and caught a cab it was 8:25.

"Crap, I'm going to be late." she mumbled.

When she finally arrived she weaved through the already crowded club to the front of the stage. Noticing along the way she didn't really blend in in the sea of people wearing black. Somehow it felt like he planned it this way. 

8:45 came and went with no Ville. The band was about to come on with still no sign of Ville and she was starting to get worried until she heard that same familiar baritone voice come onto the microphone.

"Haloo. My name is Ville and we, as in His Infernal Majesty, decided to do an acoustic version of one of our songs tonight. Hope you enjoy, kids."

All Marley could do was smile, seeing how comfortable he was in his own element.

Ville scanned the crowd for Marley.

"Hopefully she made it in close to stage." He thought to himself until he finally spotter her, radiant in the dress he bought her. She looked like an actual angel to him. Ville quickly decided to make her blush once again and acted like he didn't see her.

He walked on stage and announced; "This song is for a friend, who hopefully showed up."

"You bastard." was all Marley could get out but she was still grinning ear to ear. 

"He's beautiful." She thought to herself as she admired him from his green eyes that burned with so much unhindered passion to the distinctive sleeve tattoo that reached his wrist. When he began to sing she immediately had frissons.

She realized he was singing to her.

"The kiss sweetest, And touch so warm, The smile kindest, In this world so cold and strong."

He got what he wanted, Marley's face was a deep crimson when he made eye contact with her. He smiled, stuck his tongue at her and finished the song.

"You silly, romantic bastard."

"The arms safest, And words so good, The faith deepest, yeah, In this world so cold and cruel."

Ville maintained eye contact with her through the entire song. He almost amazed himself with how hopeless he was being.

"So close to flame, Burning brightly, It won't fade away, leave us lonely."

Marley loved every song in the set and it was finally time for the last one.

"From lashes to ashes And from lust to dust, In your sweetest torment im lost, And no heaven can help us, Ready willing and able, To lose it all, For a kiss so fatal and so warm."

He was getting anxious to get off stage and get to her and she could tell by the way he was burning a hole into her with his eyes. She was getting anxious because all she wanted was to feel his lips on hers again.

"We sense the danger, But don't want to give up, There's no smile of an angel, Without the wrath of god."

"He will be mine." Marley thought to herself, not sure in which way she meant it. Her brain wasn't working properly from the moment he began singing.

"Oh, it's heartache every moment, From the start to the end, It's heartache every moment with you, Deeper into our heavenly suffering, Our fragile souls are falling, It's heartache every moment, Baby with you, My darling with you."

The set ended so she walked to the bar for a drink to calm her nerves and settled on a glass of white wine. After sitting for a little while she heard a voice say over her shoulder and very near to ear, "I couldn't wait to get to you, love."

"Well here I am, Mr. Valo." She said flashing him a look that he could have mistaken for lust.

"I hope you enjoyed your afternoon and your evening. Care if I join you?" Ville asked in a playful voice. 

"I would prefer if you did." She flirted back.

Marley could barely contain the attraction that she was developing for the once a stranger. She didn't want him to be much of a stranger any longer. 

In any way.

She made Ville laugh like no one before her has. 

He made her smile in a way she never had with another soul.

They spent the next few hours drinking wine, cutting up and enjoying each other's company.

"Oh fuck, it's already almost one in the morning." Marley said staring at the clock on the wall. "Would you mind if we did something simpler then we did last night?"

"What did you have in mind, love?"

"Would you want to watch movies? "

"My place or yours?"

"Well I kind of want to change, so could we just go back to my room?"

"Nonsense, come back to my place. You can wear something of mine."

"As long as you don't try to lock me into your freaky sex dungeon." Marley said sarcastically. 

"Hmm. That gives me an idea."

"An idea for what?" Marley asked while laughing. 

"A new addition for my house." 

"I must say, your singing voice is like pure sex, Ville."

Ville's face turned red. That wasn't normal for him. He's heard every possible "compliment" from every kind of woman all over the globe.

"Thank you, sweet." He said as cooly as he could manage. "Now let's get going before you turn into a pumpkin."

In the cab She listened to Ville give the driver directions to his house in Finnish and was mesmerized how his voice sounded even more attractive in his native tongue. Pulling up to his house she was surprised by his "humble" abode.

"Your house is a tower?"

"Yip. Come on, you're shivering."

After he unlocked the black iron fence and they walked through into his yard, it was indeed still a tower. She had seen many on her trips but not many that was lived in as a home.

"It's amazing. I love it, Ville."

"So do I, It's definitely home. Come in."

Between the dark red walls, the artwork, and the eclectic collection of different things, she didn't know what she loved more about it. 

"Now let's find you something to wear. Come with me."

He lead her up the spiral staircase into his room. She couldn't help but take it all in while he fiddled around in his drawers. His huge dark wood canopy bed and ton of pillows looked all too inviting. Ville finally came back with an old worn in Black Sabbath T shirt and a pair of loose gray sweatpants.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." he said, half wishing he didn't have to leave the room.

"Thank you, Ville." Marley said picking up on his hesitancy. "Thanks for the clothes and everything else today. And for last night. It was all so wonderful."

"I, urm.. want to spoil you a bit. It's how I show affection." He said shyly.

"It might be strange but I seem to care for you a lot already, Ville." Marley said while reaching up to push his curls behind his ear so she could see his face better when she said it. 

His facial structure was flawless to her. Ville very suddenly pulled her face to his own with his hand on her cheeks. His lips seperated her own with a longing she hadn't felt from another in ages, if ever. 

When their lips finally parted after a few moments he looked into the small woman's eyes and said; "I've been waiting for this moment since our lips parted yesterday evening and it's truly all I've been able to think about." 

"I'm happy that I've been on your mind. I've missed your lips all day as well." 

After half an hour of heavy flirtation, they finally agreed on a couple of movies.

"Would you like to watch them down here or in my bedroom?"

"It is only our second "date", but your bed looks like heaven."

"You look like heaven to me but choose what makes you feel more comfortable, love."

"We can watch in your bed if you promise to behave." She replied with a wink.

"Have I ever given you the notion that I'm just trying to get into your panties?"

"Not even once. You just make me nervous." 

Ville smiled gently and took her hand to lead her to his bed, realizing on the way there how small her hand was in his own. He was unusually nervous. It had been ages since he had invited a woman in his house, much less into his bed. 

Now he had the company of a beautiful women in his bed and in his clothes. His butterflies were barely contained. 

"Ville?"

"Yes, Klara?"

"Can I have another kiss?"

"You don't even have to ask."

Before she could say anything else his lips were on hers. Intense and begging for more. Things were getting heavier with each moment that passed. Without even realizing Ville was on top of her kissing her face down to her neck. His hand found it's way onto her stomach. 

Things were moving pretty quickly and as usual, Ville's over rational heart kicked in.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this." Ville said, slowly pulling away and rolling off of Marley.

"Was it something I did?" Marley asked with a worried look on her face.

"Of course not, beautiful. It's just... It's too soon."

"If that's how you feel then I understand."

"I just don't care to be a quick fling."

"I've never for a second considered you one." Marley said putting her head on his chest.

Ville pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead and rested his chin on her head. They weren't even able to get through the first half hour of the movie before they fell asleep, still tangled in each others arms.


	5. Changes of Plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ville's Perspective.

I woke up this morning with her head on my chest. We must've fallen asleep during the movie last night. I've been living a routine for the last couple of years. A lonely one. Boozing until I didn't have a coherent thought, pulling all nighters and non stop touring. Silent misery. She fell into my life out of nowhere and you couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.

I'm already a hopeless romantic and she is fanning the fire burning in the very pit of my heart without any effort whatsoever. Sex? I'd give my left nut to have sex with her. She's beautiful. But my heart won't let me. 

She's not a typical, cheap groupie, not that I often sleep with groupies. She's definitely much more. I only have a month with her though. And when it comes time for her to leave... I..I see myself sinking back into the same dark place I was before. I'm trying to enjoy the time with her I have but the anxiety is seeping in.

"Wake up, sweet." I murmured into her ear.

She had drooled a little on me. It was somehow adorable.

"Mmphhh."

"Come on. I'll cook you breakfast."

"No. It's warm here. I wanna stay."

"Then I guess I'll just have to carry you down over my shoulder"

"Please don't, Ville." She said with a groggy laugh.

"Coffee and eggs?"

"I just want to stay in this bed."

"You're not going to make this easy now are you?"

"But..."

"No buts. Now let's see, sorry I don't have much carnivorous foods laying about. Just eggs."

"Sleep would be fine." She groaned.

"You're not much of a morning person are you?" I laughed.

"How'd you manage to figure that out?" She said while trying to tame her slept on hair. She was even beautiful while still half asleep.

"I should probably go and make that coffee now."

"Or bring me back to bed." She said while putting her arms around me.

"Sounds tempting, love. But you should probably wake up. Don't you have work to do today?"

"Shhhh. Why are you yelling?"

I have no idea what I've gotten myself into with this one. 

"Y'know, I have nothing planned for the day if you'd like to spend it with me?"

"Does that mean we can take naps?" 

"If that's really what you want. But just one. Not multiple." I said while laughing. But after that we're going on an adventure and that's that." 

She groaned and even stamped her tiny feet a little but she wrinkled her nose at me when she realized I wasn't budging.

We sat outside in my garden drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes until well in the afternoon, skipping our nap. When her phone started ringing.

That damned phone call from her mother. 

I watched her beautiful face go from glowing to turning a shade of ash and her vibrant eyes going hollow. I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for her to tell me what was going on when she finally hung up and the tears began to run down her cheeks.

"My..." she said as she began to trail off.

"Spit it out, love. You have me on edge." 

"My.. dad had a heart attack." she fumbled out. I need to get home now." she said jumping out of her chair so abruptly that it fell behind her. 

"Marley, hold on!"

"I can't. I have to get to him as soon as possible." She sobbed out.

"You can't go by yourself, Marley. You're too distraught. I'll go with you." I said pulling her into me to hold her.

"I can't ask that of you, Ville. You have your own life here. This is my life." she said through tears. "We don't even know each other well enough for you to get wrapped up into this. I couldn't ask that of you."

"You're not asking anything of me. I offered and I refuse to let you deal with this alone for hours on a plane."

"Thank you so much."

In a flash we were both packed and on a plane back to the US. It was obvious her father meant the world to her. Her mother kept us as up to date as she could, but she was anxious to be by his bedside and I kept her as positive as I could. 

She stared out of the window blankly for most of the first flight but I held her hand the entire time making sure she knew she wasn't alone. I forced her to eat in the airport before we boarded the next flight with little success but she was a bit more talkative which had me relieved but I knew she was hurting. 

It was obvious. And It broke my heart. Which was about the same time I realized I was beginning to fall in love with this woman. In such a short amount of time it seems impossible. 

But I think my heart knew I would fall from the first time I saw her face. But my head was finally catching up. I'll admit at times I'm a selfish bastard and I'm not the perfect man but all I've wanted since laying my eyes on her was to be near her. Nothing more. I didn't expect anything of her and that was terrifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You can never pick the person you fall in love with. Love knocks on your door and smashes its velvet hammer in your face... and you're hooked." -Ville Valo


	6. Home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klara's perspective.

Landing in my home state felt like a giant weight off of my shoulders. I'll admit I was iffy about Ville coming along because it hasn't been that long that we've been seeing each other. Things have been moving at a rapid pace but he's helped me keep my sanity and I'm getting used to him always being around now. 

When I walked into the hospital waiting room I was smothered in unwanted hugs from relatives. After they were done with me their attention went to the tall Finn that was standing behind me. But I couldn't deal with any personal questions about Ville from them right now. All of my focus was on getting to my dad. He was still unconscious from anesthesia after surgery but he was stable.

I kneeled near my father's bedside.

"Daddy, I love you. I came back for you." I said as I squeezed his hand. I tried not to cry in front of my mom but it was impossible.

She wiped my tears and asked me to go on a walk since there was not much I could do with dad still asleep. I asked Ville for a cigarette and followed my mom out of the door. We ended up sitting on a bench down the street from the hospital and I tried to light the cigarette with shaking hands. 

"If you don't eat soon you'll shake out your own skin." mom said eyeing my hands with concern.

"I know, but you know how my stomach is when I'm stressed out."

"I know, sweetheart. I hated to call and ruin your trip but I realized how serious your dad's condition was after we arrived at the hospital and I couldn't not call." She said sympathetically.

"It isn't your fault, momma." I said kissing her cheek and pulling her into a hug.

"It seems like you brought back a souvenir." mom said with a half cheerful smile. "A pretty, tall souvenir."

"I wouldn't call him a souvenir..." I trailed off.

"Oh? What shall we call him then?" 

"Ville Valo would probably be polite."

"And who is this 'Ville Valo' to you?"

"Well.. we've been seeing each other."

"And hopefully having protected sex."

"Mother! I said seeing. Not sleeping with."

"I know, sweetheart. I just missed making your face turn red over these last few weeks. You're too easy" she said grinning.

"I'm sorry, momma." I said squeezing her with a hug. "I shouldn't have left you and dad."

"Well we didn't know this was going to happen and darling, your life doesn't revolve around us."

"Well, I know that but it still sucked being so far away when I got the call. I felt hopeless."

"I know. Now enough negative talk. How did you meet this man?"

I spent the better half of an hour telling her everything from how we met to everything about him and how my trip was going. She tried to make me eat in the hospital cafeteria but I just ended up just throwing it away. Eating right now wasn't an option.

"I think it's time you properly introduced me to this Mr. Valo." she finally piped up. 

"There will be plenty of time for that later. I just want to... go for a walk right now."

"Ok my darling. Please be careful. Would you want me to join you?"

"No, thank you. I just need to try and clear my head for a bit."

"Alright. But you should eat soon."

"Yes, mom."

With that being said my brain switched off. My world was spinning and I began to walk aimlessly in this familiar place. Not really with a destination. The next thing I knew I was sitting on a park bench, the sun was setting and I finally snapped back into it. I checked my phone and I had several missed calls and texts from Ville and my mom.

"Sweetheart,where are you?" 

"Are you ok?" 

"I'm starting to get worried."

"Klara, please tell me where you are..I'd really like to be with you right now, love."

I just didn't care at the moment. I wanted to be alone and walking was the only way I could get my mind off of things. I stopped at a store to buy the first pack of my own cigarettes in a long time. I sat on a bench, lit one and let the smoke fill my lungs. I had my eyes closed when someone touched my shoulder and I instinctively threw my elbow into an unknowns stomach. I heard a familiar grunt.

"Oh my God, Ville! I'm so sorry!" but I could barely contain my laughter as I watched him hunched over, trying to catch his wind. 

"No, no. It's fine. At least I don't have to worry about you when you wander off." He said half gasping, half laughing. 

"I feel so bad. I wasn't expecting you to find me."

"Quite alright. I might be able to breathe again normally in a few minutes. I've just finished having dinner with your mother."

"Really? How did that go?"

"I went into the cafeteria for coffee and she caught me and invited me to join her. We mostly talked about you, love. We are worried about you. We should probably get you something to eat."

"You're probably right. But no hospital food. I know a diner nearby. Follow me."

And with that Ville grabbed my hand and held it tight when we started walking. I was quiet most of the way and I could see him glancing over at me out of the corner of my eye and I recognized the concern on his face. We made it to the diner and I ordered my favorite thing, a cheeseburger with egg and bacon on top and devoured it within minutes.

Ville was horrified by the amount of meat and great I was eating but otherwise was happy I had an appetite. My dad wouldn't want me starving over him and I knew that. 

"Well I'm glad to see you eating again but now I'm scared you're going to choke." Ville said with a laugh. 

"No worries. I usually eat like this on a drunk night and I haven't choked yet."

Boston started to play on the jukebox and he got to witness my out of key singing and hand clapping. It felt like ages even though it was only days before that I had laughed and smiled with Ville. It felt good to not feel stressed for a bit.

But my mind quickly went back to my dad and getting back to the hospital. Ville held me close to him on the walk back and a strange feeling started to creep into my stomach. He was starting to mean a lot more to me then I realized he would. 

I think I'm falling in love with a near stranger. Only he didn't feel like a stranger at all.


	7. I will always be waiting.

"I don't know if I'm going back, Ville."

The words that Ville dreaded hearing the most after a week in Pennsylvania. They hung in the air, looming, until she finally said them outloud. In the past week Marley's father came to after having undergone a coronary bypass graft that saved his life. 

As much as Ville offered and slightly pushed he could never get Marley to leave his side for extended periods. She had barely slept at all. It showed on her face, the shadows under her eyes darker than ever. Even at her father's insistence that she go home and get rest because in his own words, "It's not like I'm going anywhere fast."

"I'm worried about you." Marley's father, Ethan, whispered.

"You should be worried about yourself. I'm fine." Marley whispered back.

They were both whispering because Ville was asleep on the small sofa near the window in the hospital room. Ethan took a notice to how Ville nearly never left her side since they had arrived. He respected him for it even though Ville was still just a stranger that showed up with his baby girl.

"Who is this man to you, Klara?" Ethan Stocke inquired of his daughter.

"He's someone I care for a lot, daddy." Klara smiled.

Ville may have appeared to still be sleeping but he had slightly woken up and heard what Marley said and he couldn't help but smile to himself. It was too soon to be exchanging "I love you's" but it felt good to know how she felt. With that said, he fell back into as deep as sleep as the hospital chair would allow. 

"Does he care for you the same?"

"Yes, he does. I've never had anyone treat me as well as he has in such a short period of time. Much less after years. I can see how he feels about me every time he looks at me." She beamed.

"You've only been away a week and look at you. Already have a handsome foreigner at your beck and call. Ethan said through a wheezy giggle. "What does he do?"

"He's a musician. A damn good one at that. His band is pretty popular back in Finland."

"I should have known. You've been drawn to music since you were only a baby. But.." Ethan hesitated.

"But.. what?"

"Your trip to Finland was only for a few weeks was it not? What's going to happen when you have to come back?" Ethan asked seriously.

"I haven't the slightest. I told Ville earlier this afternoon that I don't know if I'm going back."

"Why wouldn't you, Klara Leonore?" Ethan asked, sounding disappointed.

Marley knew it was serious when her father used her full name.

"I honestly just don't want to leave you. No trip is more important than you." She whispered.

"My life isn't more important than living yours." Ethan said as matter of fact as he gets. "Me and your mother gave you life not only to love you unconditionally but to watch your grow, find happiness and prosper. Staying here will only clip your wings."

"But dad... your health. I can't leave you like-"

"Like what? Ill? Klara. I've just had a heart attack and had surgery. I'm lucky to be alive. If anything this should prove to you that your life is too short to stay in one place. I have your mother. She will take care of me until I'm healed. There's nothing you can do here. Go. There's two opportunities you'd be passing up, not just one."

Marley fell into a stunned silence. Her father always spoke very matter of factly. He didn't like to beat around the bush and she knew that. Yet she was still taken aback by how he put everything she had been anxious about into a clear perspective. She never passed up her father's advice and she wouldn't start now. 

"You're right, dad. I was just so scared of losing you that it sent me spiralling."

"Don't pass up this opportunity, my girl. I'm not just talking about the trip. I haven't even spoken to the boy yet and I can tell you have a deep connection with him. Don't let that go. I didn't. Me and your mother had so many things riding against our relationship and I never gave up. Your grandparents had her set up to be in an arranged marriage for Saint's sake."

'I never knew that, dad." Klara mumbled.

Marley knew her parents met in Romania where her mom was originally from but they never told her about how it came to be besides her dad was on leave from the military and decided to backpack Europe. It was a whirlwind romance and as soon as it was possible her mother was on a flight to meet her father back in the U.S. and she moved in with him at the base. She never knew what obstacles almost ended her parents. 

It honestly wasn't much different than how things have been going with Klara and Ville. No wonder they'd taken Ville in stride instead of suspicion. 

"They wanted your mother to be with who they chose and to lead your typical married life. No job. No college education, just a stay at home wife. But we both know your mom had bigger dreams than that. That's why she has a masters and that's why she an art studio at the house. You can't let life clip a bird's wings. That's my entire point of this speech." Ethan said through another wheezy laugh. "You are your mother's child. Don't let anything get in your way." 

He was right Marley thought to herself. She couldn't pass up what could possibly be. She turned to look at Ville. 

He still appeared to be asleep. Beanie pulled over his eyes, arms crossed and legs propped up. She stared at him for a minute and she couldn't help but think he looked like home. He had been through her side throughout this ordeal. Took care of her. Let her have space when she needed.

He was there to hold her hand on the flight. She couldn't just give it up as if it never happened and move back here. There was nothing for her here besides her parents and she and her father knew it.

"I'll book my flight after you're released and we can get you home. I'm not leaving until then, dad. Deal?"

"Deal." Ethan said. They sealed it with their usual pinky promise. 

By the time they were done pinky promising Ville began to stretch and pulled his beanie back into the right position on his head and he stood up, stretched and walked up to finally introduce himself properly to her dad. 

"Ville Valo, nice to finally meet you, Mr. Stocke." Ville said, reaching out his hand to Ethan.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Valo. We have a lot to talk about." Ethan said through a grin and a firm handshake.

After visiting hours were over Ethan chased Marley out of the hotel room and told her to get rest. Ville wholeheartedly agreed and they both managed to convince her to leave and go to her parents house to sleep. As soon as they walked out of the hospital exit Ville pulled Marley into him with one arm and kissed her forehead. 

She felt warm and a sense of happiness every time he touched her.   
She didn't want to let that go. She wasn't going to.

Her attitude about Finland did a complete 180 after Ethan gave her one of his famous philosophical speeches. He always knew how to ease her mind and help her make decisions. 

She had the tickets for both of their flights booked by the end of the cab ride back to her parents. 

When Marley and Ville arrived at her parents house they both immediately collapsed on the bed after changing. Before Marley fell asleep she felt Ville pull her towards him and he held her for a majority of the night while they slept. Right before falling asleep she turned to look at his face for a minute while he was already fast asleep. 

She took notice of the how peaceful his beautiful face looked while he slept next to her and finally slipped off into her own sleep wrapped in his arms.


	8. I'm for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning; Sex and emotions lay ahead.

After hours of reassuring on the flight, Ville finally convinced Marley to stay with him this time instead of booking another hotel room. No matter how many times he reassured her Marley still felt like she'd be a nuisance. He finally managed to put her mind at ease and put his hand over hers before he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

She stared at his sleeping face for a minute. She'd been doing it a lot lately but she still felt like a weirdo for it.

He opened his eyes and gently said, "Hey love.. you should get some rest. There's still 6 hours left before we land." after checking his watch.

"I will in a bit, babe." She let slip out before she caught it.

"Huh.. babe." He mumbled with a smirk catching his lips.

"I'm sorry. It slipped out." Marley's cheeks flushed red.

"No, please. I adore it. You make me feel warm again, Klara." Ville said in a breathy voice while he put his hand gently on the back of her neck and immediately pulled her lips to his. She opened her lips, asking for more but immediately snapped backed to reality when the child sitting behind her kicked the back of her seat. 

They immediately pulled away from each other, remembering their surroundings. If the wrong person were to take pictures it would end up on the front page back in Finland in no time and neither were prepared for that yet. They were just learning each other and the butterflies were still in each of their stomachs every moment.

Ville's face was beat red but he was still breathing heavy and Marley immediately noticed how dilated his pupils were in his almost cat-like eyes. They had pushed boundaries early on but this felt different. 

She knew what he wanted and the feeling was mutual. She pulled his forehead to hers and not breaking their eye contact she whispered "Six more hours, Mr. Valo."

He immediately knew what she meant and pulled her in for a kiss, no longer caring of his surroundings. She kissed him back and for the umpteenth time in his presence she felt warmth in her panties and held in a moan. She could see by the state of his pants he wasn't in much better condition.

"Six more hours, Klara Leonore." He murmured into her ear.

The sudden onset of lust was palpable for the rest of the flight when they weren't sleeping. The rush was on to grab their luggage and hail a taxi back to Ville's home when the plane finally landed. The poor luggage barely made it into the door before being tossed aside before they dashed up the stairs giggling and losing shoes and shirts as they went. 

Ville caught up to Marley at the top of the staircase and swiftly picked her up and carried her into his room and placed her in front of him on the bed.

"Are you sure you're ready, Klara?" He gently asked.

"Ville, if you don't fuck me within the next 2 minutes I may actually lose my mind." Marley all but moaned out, pulling at his belt loops.

"As you wish." Ville said swiftly unbuttoning her pants, pulling them off and throwing them across the room. He could already see the wet spot on her panties and could feel the warmth of her thighs and moaned outloud. Their eyes met each others and Ville bit his lip when his hand met with the wetness outside of her panties. 

He gently pulled them to the side and let out a groan at the sight of her. He thought his dick was going to break through his zipper any minute and the throbbing was excruciating.

He rubbed his thumb over her clit and down to her pussy. He couldn't help himself and leaned down to taste her. He could already feel the wetness pooling on his tip and tasting her only made it worse. She leaned up to his surprise and began struggling with the buttons on his jeans. 

"Let me do it." Ville laughed out as he undid the button immediately and threw them across the room by hers.

Marley saw his cock through his jeans on the plane but it didn't do any justice to his size without them. She was honestly a little intimidated by it. He could tell by the look on her face and whispered in her ear "We're going to take it slowly, my love."

Marley had goosebumps up and down her already warm skin at those words and his breath on her ear. He pulled her panties off and dropped them at his feet. The sight of her fully naked after she managed off her bra and tossed it aside made him insane.

"Babe, I need you." Marley groaned and it snapped Ville back to what he was doing. 

He rubbed the outside of her entrance and slowly pushed one finger in. Marley moaned out after feeling the size of his finger inside of her. It had been years since the last time she was in bed with anyone. He couldn't hold out anymore after feeling how tight and warm she was around his finger.

Finally he placed the tip at her entrance and slowly pushed himself inside of her. Marley gasped and squeezed his hand. Ville could barely control himself from thrusting faster. 

Feeling her around his dick was pure ecstasy. Saint's knows he wanted to fuck the hell out of her but she was so tight that he held back as much as he possibly could so he wouldn't hurt her.

Until he heard the words "Fuck me harder, Ville."

Marley had never been with a man like this. She had slept with a couple of her exes before but it was usually awkward and never this intense. As if his size alone didn't stand out compared to past beaus.

She wanted all of him and her mind was going blank because of her impending climax. Ville could read her orgasm on her face and moaned "Klara, I'm about to cum.."

But she was already climaxing and his hips slowed but slammed into hers a dozen more times as he reached his orgasm at the same time. "Fuck, Klara." He moaned outloud. 

His thrusting finally came to a stop but he stayed inside of her and he rested his head on her shoulder. They were both out of breath. He smiled and his lips met hers and they exchanged a kiss. 

"I'm sorry.. I couldn't pull myself out of you. I've never actually done that before."

"You've never done what?" Marley asked, surprised.

"I've never let myself finish in a partner before."

"I've never let anyone do that either." Klara realized. 

She was astounded at how caught up she had been in the moment, she hadn't even cared. 

"I'm on the pill if it puts your mind at ease." She said after a moment.

"I wasn't necessarily worried but it's a sort of relief." Ville laughed. "Let's get cleaned up." He said while slapping Marley on the butt.

"Let's." Marley said while kissing him on the cheek. Even after what had just transpired he still blushed. He watched her walk to the bathroom and admired her shape. 

Her dark hair almost met the middle of her back and her olive skin complimented her soft curves. She was more beautiful than any painting to him and he didn't want this to end. 

By any means.

By the time he made it to the bathroom she was already in the tub and he ungracefully climbed in with her. They exchanged a kiss and both slumped in the warm water. Comfortable in their shared silence, they made eye contact and shared a simple smile.

The remainder of the day and night were spent sitting Indian style in bed with junk food talking about music and watching the cheesiest horror movies they could think of. She hadn't been this comfortable with someone since her childhood and high school best friend. 

The conversation took a serious turn when Marley said "I wish Hannah would be here to see me now." 

"Where is Hannah now?" Ville asked, curious because she had never mentioned a Hannah before.

"She passed away when we were 18. We were best friends since childhood. Her mom and my mom became friends on base when mom immigrated to the U.S.. We were practically sisters. She always told me I was too closed off with the people I dated. That one day I was going to meet the right someone and it would slap me in the face and all of the walls would finally crumble." 

The tears came to her eyes quickly and unexpectedly. She had been so wrapped up in everything going on lately that this was the first time she thought of Hannah. A feeling of guilt surrounded Klara as the tears finally spilt over. 

Ville immediately pulled her to him and began to wipe the tears off of her cheeks. He had never lost anyone close himself and couldn't begin to understand the emotions that were suddenly hitting her like waves. He did his best to console her, rubbing her back when she began to sob.

"Shhh, my love. I'm here." He whispered softly in her ear.

Marley finally was able to calm herself, pulled herself away from his arms and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. 

"I'm sorry. That was out of the blue. I just haven't stopped enough to think about her since... everything lately. I used to think about her so much every day. What she would be like.. what our friendship would be. She was such an amazing person. It took me the better part of a year to even be anything close to what I was like before her death."

"Klara, what happened to her if you don't mind me asking? I don't mean to be insensitive."

"You aren't being insensitive. She was a brilliant person. My mom always said she was an old soul. I always went to her for advice and she gave the best but I never realized how much she kept from me. She was in her second semester of college and started a new job shortly before the semester began. She took too much on herself. She never told me or anyone else. Her own parents didn't even pick up on any signs. No one knew how she was feeling. She was so young." 

The tears began to pool on Marley's cheeks again. 

"You don't have to finish, Klara. I know, my love. Come here."

Ville leaned against the headboard, pulled Marley's head to his chest and began to wipe her tears again. "Don't put all that weight on your own shoulders. There was no way for you to know unless she told you. Sometimes when people hurt they try to save their loved ones from their pain, no matter the cost."

Ville knew his words to be true from experience. After the band's fame started to climb he sank into a habit of drinking every time he became stressed and it turned into every night and depression soon followed. He dealt with it with the bottle and other "distractions" and his own best friends had to pull him back from the edge many times. Especially after his last relationship.

This was the first time he was truly happy in a long time without any of it, he had barely drank at all since they first met he realized. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. She had already changed that part of him for the better without even trying. 

He looked down at Klara and she had fallen asleep. She was so exhausted from the flight and crying that she had fallen into a deep sleep. He watched her for a bit, pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. She stirred but she didn't wake up. 

He himself couldn't sleep. He had so much on his mind after everything that came tumbling off of her chest. He looked down at the women in his arms and admired the way she was still beautiful even when she was drooling on his chest. They were opposites when it came to most aspects. Yin and Yang of sorts. 

He loved that about her. Everything that made her different from himself. He loved her parents. He loved her empathy. Her humour. Her Hazel eyes, even when the dark shadows underneath were at their worst. He loved everything about her and hated that she lost her closest friend and confidant and almost her father recently. 

He looked down at her and realized he felt protective over her. He wanted to keep her safe from all of the hurt and pain that she felt. He stroked the small scar on her cheek and thought to himself;

"Love is too weak a word for the way I feel about you, Klara Leonore."


	9. It's worth all wounds.

Birds were loudly chirping and the sun was streaming in the bedroom when Klara opened her eyes. She turned over and looked at Ville. He was still laying on his back with his arm around her and snoring. Loudly. Klara crawled out of bed and decided to make coffee. 

She had a hell of a time searching the kitchen cabinets to find the coffee, only to find it in the freezer.   
She decided to sit out on his patio and enjoy the cold morning air with her cup. She sat on one of wrought iron chairs by a table and deeply inhaled the cold air. 

She was still processing the night before. Deeply embarrassed about the suppressed feelings that came pouring out the night before.

She was sitting quietly with her thoughts for half an hour before she heard the patio door open behind her. Ville was pulling on a hoodie and yawning simultaneously when he sat on the steps. He gave her a sleepy smile.

"Good morning. What are you doing out here in the cold, Love?" Ville asked sleepily.

"Morning. I love the cold. Plus I have coffee to keep me warm." Klara said smiling.

"How are you, uh, feeling?" 

"A little embarrassed and, well. A little sore to be honest." She laughed.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed. I'm happy that you felt comfortable enough with me to share something like that. I know it's hard but I feel closer to you. I know something important about your life, Klara. I'm sorry about the soreness, though. I tried to go slow." Ville said with a laugh, "I was just trying to give you what you wanted."

Klara's face turned beat red, considering she was in fact the one who wanted it. They sat in silence for a few moments before Ville stood up to walk over to her. He leaned over her and they stared into each others eyes for a few seconds before Ville kissed one of her cheeks, then the other and finally her lips. 

"I'm sorry I ruined our time last night. I just couldn't help-"

"Please, Klara. Don't apologize." Ville squatted in between her legs and held both of her hands, "I need you to understand. I want to know everything I can about you. Your dreams, your fears, the things that are important to you. Hannah was important and still is. Please, never apologize for sharing with me again. I want to know you."

Klara was at a loss for words. She always had a hard time opening up about things like she had last night. She was still shocked. She thought about Hannah every day, sometimes a few times a day but this was the first time she ever openly talked to someone about her before. Even though she had cried she felt how relieving it was to finally talk.

"Come here," Ville said before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a him, "Please don't ever be afraid to share with me. I may not have been through the same things but that will not make me less understanding, Klara."

She knew that but he would never understand how hard it was for her to talk about the more serious things in her life. She was also still trying to get used to hearing her birth name more than her nickname, but it felt more personal when he called her Klara. She shivered even though she had grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around herself before she sat outside.

Ville stood up and said, "Let's get you inside before you turn into a popsicle, love." 

Ville plopped down on the couch where his coffee was still steaming on the table in front of him. He grabbed an old beat up looking acoustic guitar that was leaning against the other side of the couch and started strumming. Klara sat across in a big cozy looking chair and was admiring his playing when the phone started ringing. 

Ville jumped up to answer it and switched from English to Finnish at the drop of a hat. It was crazy to her how fluent his English is but how easy it was for him to switch back to Finnish. Which sounded insanely complicated to her but came so easy to him. 

She couldn't understand a word except her own name and she could still tell whoever was on the other line was a welcomed voice because he was smiling and after a few minutes he hung up.

He sat back down across from her with a smile and abruptly asked, "How do you feel about meeting my parents today?"

"Well. It sounds nerve-racking but I don't see why not. Was that them on the phone?"

"It was my father. They invited me to go over for dinner and I told him I may bring a guest with me. He seemed a little too excited about that," Ville said with a smile.

"I mean, yes. Of course. I'd love to meet them. It just makes me a little.. nervous." She blushed.

"There no reason to be, love. They're both pretty relaxed sorts. Did I ever tell you that my dad owns a sex shop?" Ville asked laughing.

"Holy crap," Klara laughed, "I don't believe that you did but I'm a little more relaxed now. But I guess that also means we have to get dressed at some point."

"Yes it does, but that won't be until late this afternoon." Ville said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk that Marley understood immediately. He made his way from couch and kneeled in front of her.

"You do understand that I'm still sore right, Mr. Valo?" She giggled.

"I'm not Mr. Valo to you, that's my father. I'd prefer if you called Ville or babe considering we're sleeping together. I will be gentle, my love." Ville said with his lips brushing against her neck. 

"Ville," Klara gasped out, "Please."

She barely even got the word please out before he was pulling off her sweats, pulling her panties to the side and she inhaled sharply when one of his fingers slipped inside of her. Her heart was pounding when Ville leaned over near her neck and murmured in her ear, "You are so fucking beautiful, Klara."

"Ville, I want you." Klara pleaded.

Ville groaned and began unbuttoning his pants and pulled himself out. Klara leaned forward and took him into her hand and began stroking him. She was still a little shocked by his size, even after having him last night. She pushed his hair out of his face and his eyes looked at her desperately, wanting. 

"I want you inside of me, Ville." Klara whispered.

Ville was still kneeling when he slid into her and he felt frissons spread from the bottom of his spine up to his neck. Klara closed her eyes and gasped out a breath, feeling him move inside of her and his hips moving slowly nearly sent her over the edge immediately. Ville cupped his hand on her cheek and Marley opened her eyes.

"I want to see your eyes, Klara," Ville murmured, his rhythm slow and he was enjoying every second of being inside of her again. 

He felt her tightening around him and knew he wouldn't be far behind her. He felt a fire build in his stomach right as Klara's face flushed and her breath began to hitch. She pulsated around him and his vision went white just as she let out a loud breathy moan. 

Ville rested his head on Klara's shoulder, trying to regain control of his breathing. His eyes met hers and their lips met with such force that their teeth clicked together.

"I'm so sorry," Ville laughed out, "I got a little carried away."

"It's fine," Klara snorted, "I think you started it that time."

"I believe I did," Ville chuckled," I think we should get cleaned up, would you like to shower with me?"

"Sounds dreamy, I could use a hot shower," Klara murmured, "Let's do it."

Klara followed Ville up the stairs, both still in all of their naked glory. They climbed into a steaming shower together and both relished in the heat. The floors were always frozen in Ville's house and Klara's feet felt comfortably numb after the hot water ran down her body and to her frozen toes. 

Ville was under the shower head and Klara began to admire his back. It was long and slender with eyes tattooed on either side of his shoulder blades. She was honestly impressed with how toned he was for such a thin person while watching his muscles move under his alabaster skin. 

He turned in time to catch her staring, "What are you doing, my love?" Ville murmured while leaning down to kiss Klara's neck. 

"Just admiring. Your artwork is impressive."

"I appreciate that. I paid dearly for it," Ville laughed and leaned over to give Klara a peck, "We should hurry up though. We need to get ready for dinner." 

A couple of hours later Ville and Klara arrived at his parents. Ville knocked on the door and Klara was still nervous as hell. She put on her best brave face and whispered, "What if they don't like me, Ville?" 

"They'll love you, but a heads up, I may have to translate here and there-" 

The door swung open and there stood Ville's mom, "Hallo, poikani," she gushed. She glanced over at Klara and her face lit up again, "Hallo, Klara," she exclaimed and kissed both of her cheeks and beckoned them to come inside.

Marley wasn't expecting that but she felt more relaxed already. She could see the resemblance between Ville and his mother but she realized when they walked into the kitchen and she saw his father who he really resembled. The kitchen smelled like heaven even though she couldn't identify what they were cooking.

"Hallo, Mrs. Klara," Ville's father beamed through a thick accent. He kissed both of her cheeks and brought them through the kitchen to the dining room to sit down. Klara observed Kari Valo and realized he and Ville shared the same profile. She loved seeing Ville interact with his family. They were so open and warm and managed to make her feel welcome even though they could barely hold a conversation. 

Ville was switching languages back and forth as quickly as he could, translating for his parents and Klara when needed. The night went better than he could have ever expected. His parents loved her. 

He loved her. 

He always knew he loved her. He couldn't tell her yet. She'd think he was insane. 

After desert Ville's phone rang. He excuses himself to answer it because it was the band's manager. A call that he had been dreading but knew was coming. Tour dates. 

It was small tour, a week long, but Ville knew what that meant. She would be leaving soon so he tried to talk Seppo out of it but there was nothing he could do. Except tell Klara the news. 

He waited until they were back at his house to tell her. He could feel the dread building up in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't ready to be parted from her. He didn't know how she would take it or how they would make this work when they were both away. 

Klara had already changed and curled up in bed when Ville came in from having a smoke. He had looked down ever since he answered the phone at his parents and she was starting to get worried. She patted the bed for him to  lay down next to her.

"What's wrong, Ville?," she questioned, "You've looked down like this since dinner. Is everything alright?"

"I have to leave tomorrow, Klara." Ville whispered.

"What do you mean?," Klara asked, sitting up.

"I have to start a small tour tomorrow. It's only a week but I can't pass it up. I tried to talk them out of it. It ends next week in Prague and I'll be on a flight back immediately." 

Klara could see the worry in Ville's eyes, but she was also worried. This tour would cut into what little time they had before she had to leave. Klara's thoughts were cut off when Ville sat up and put his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Of course you can still stay here. You'll probably get more work done without me in your hair anyways." Ville giggled.

But Klara could tell he felt what she was feeling so she finally just asked aloud;

"Ville, am I going to lose you?"

Ville felt Klara shift away from him because it caught him completely off guard and he took a minute to answer, "Klara, as far as I can help it I honestly don't wanted to be parted from you longer than I have to be." Ville whispered. 

"But Ville, what are we going to do when I have to leave?" Klara pulled her knees close to her chest, "This is going to be your only tour and I- well, work takes me everywhere." 

"We can make it work. I want to make this work." Ville whispered, practically begging. 

Klara climbed out of the bed and pulled on her sweatpants that were on the floor and her sweater that hung from the bed post. 

"What are you doing, Klara?" Ville begged.

"I have to go, Ville. I can't stay here. You're leaving tomorrow and this isn't my home. I'm getting a hotel room for the remainder of the week." 

"Please." Ville begged, "We can make this work. It's not going to be easy but I don't want to let this go." 

"I do." Klara whispered, gathering the rest of her things. 

"You don't mean that, Klara. I know this was last minute and you're upset but everything has been so great with us together lately. You aren't just a fling for me." Ville stammered.

"Our lives are pulling us apart just as fast as they pushed us together, Ville. I don't want to prolong the pain. It's better this way. We've had fun, we were there for each other but it isn't meant to be." Marley replied, as calmly as she could with letting her tears be obvious, "I'm calling a cab and I'll find a hotel room. Thank you for everything. I had fun and have a great trip, Ville."

Before Ville could tell her any more about how he felt or find any words at all, Klara was already out of the front door. He stood at the top of the stairs, frozen, with the pain in his chest growing by the second. 

Just like that, she walked into his life and then she was gone.

Klara walked down the silent and cold street with tears finally flowing freely from her eyes. She knew she overreacted immediately but she couldn't stand to love another person only to lose them abruptly again. She was trying to guard her heart. That's the only way she could see her and Ville ending up in the future and she just wanted him to forget her rather than drag it out. 

She finally managed to stop crying long enough to call a cab and within a few minutes she was in the warm backseat. She could feel the driver looking at her in rear view mirror, obviously because she was still trying to wipe tears from her eyes. She found a hotel room and unlocked her door to find it dark and empty. 

Perfect for how she was feeling.

She sat on the window seat and contemplated what she was going to do next. She already had 4 missed calls from Ville along with a couple of voice messages. She didn't even bother checking them before deleting them. 

Just like that her walls were back up and she just wanted to go home. She did the math and realized her dad would be up if she called him. She struggled with herself for a bit and finally dialed his number. 

He answered on the fourth ring, "Hey, my girl. I wasn't expecting to hear from you, how are you?"

Klara couldn't speak for a few seconds. She could feel the sobs bubbling up when she finally did. 

"I fucked up, dad." Marley sobbed out.

"What happened, sweetheart?" 

"I couldn't do it. I let him go." Marley quietly cried.

"What do you mean you let him go? What happened?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"He has to leave for a tour tomorrow and I just-I walked out. It's too much. It wouldn't last." Klara sobbed.

"Klara Leonore. I love you more than life itself but sometimes I don't understand you." Ethan laughed.

"Dad, this is serious." Klara whimpered.

"I know it is. I'm just in shock. You were so wound up over this boy and you let it go just like that, even after our talk. Klara. Love always find a way. Just because you haven't said it out loud, you are in love with him." Ethan pointed out. 

"I know. I just don't want to hurt again." Marley cried, "I just don't see a relationship being possible. We'd always be seperated."

"Have you stopped to think about what he wanted, Klara?" Ethan enquired.

Marley realized that she hadn't. She heard what he was saying but with touring and all of the other women throwing themselves at him she thought there was no way he could have meant it and that he would realize it soon. He was just caught up in the same whirlwind she had been.

"Dad. I can't do it. He'll realize eventually that I'm not enough. We don't have the time-"

"Make the time. You obviously love him enought to be this upset, Klara. You don't have to take every job that falls into your lap. Take time off. Spend time with him. You don't have to run back home because you're scared. Things that mean the most are terrifying and that's what's happening to you right now. Don't you see that?"

"I can't, dad. I just want to come home." Marley sobbed.

Ethan sighed, "I feel like you would be making a mistake, Klara."

"I don't care right now, dad. I need to get my head back in the right place. I miss you and mom." Klara sobbed into the phone.

"Then come home, my girl."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Love is madness, you can't put it into doses, it either surges over or under." -Ville Valo


	10. All I ever wanted was you.

It had been two weeks since Klara left. Two weeks that she barely left her room at her parents. Two weeks of evading his phone calls. Two weeks of erasing voice mails without listening to them before she finally turned her phone off.

For one of the few times in Ethan's life he was at a loss. He didn't know what advice to give or what even to say to Klara. She barely left her room and when she did it was to soak in the tub for hours on end. He hadn't seen her this depressed since Hannah died. 

Ville was the only man she let strip down her walls and see the darkest parts of herself. He was the only man she had been intimate with in years. She felt it was only a matter of time before she lost him too and she did the only thing she could think of.

She ran. 

She regretted it as soon as she stepped out of his door and again when she stepped foot onto the plane but she couldn't let herself look back. She felt in her heart that it was too good to be true and he would realize she wasn't what he wanted when he was out on the road. At the same time she couldn't help but feel she made one of the biggest mistakes of her life. 

Lina stayed home from work as much as she could to tend to Klara, bringing her ice cream and watching movies and laughing with her until the wee hours of the morning. She missed having her baby home but she didn't want it to be this way. She could see that Klara was hurting and she felt powerless again.

They were laying down in Klara's room when she noticed her daughter's phone in the nightstand, "Has he tried to call again?"

"I don't know," Klara mumbled, "I turned my phone off yesterday."

"Why are you avoiding him, my sweet? You know he's probably worried sick about you." Lina sighed.

"I have nothing to say. I just left. I fucking ran, mom." Klara snapped.

"I just don't want him to worry. I don't think you grasp how much he cares for you, Klara," Lina retorted, " I was around him for a few days and I could see it. His face lit up every time you looked at him." 

"I'm not what he wants, mom. He was bound to figure that out eventually." Klara whispered.

"Klara. He flew across the globe and held your hand the entire way because he loves you. Any fool can see that." Lina scolded.

"I just couldn't handle it, mom. It was too much." Klara whispered.

Lina was growing more concerned. Klara's emotions had been haywire since she arrived back home. She summed it up to her manner of leaving but something dawned on her. She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was but she went through the same thing herself.

"Klara, sweetheart, when was your last period?" Lina blurted.

The same realization that Lina had dawned on Klara. She couldn't remember. It couldn't have been that long ago. She's on the pill. Then it hit her, she had forgotten to take a few in the midst of everything that had been going on back in Finland. 

After a couple minutes of silence Klara finally blurted out, "It's been a month, mom. What am I supposed to do?"

Lina tried not to give away the panic she was feeling for her daughter. She just wanted her to be the small child that she once was so she could protect her from the world again. She also knew this wasn't for sure yet.

"I'll make a trip to the drugstore. You stay in bed." Lina declared.

After Lina left Klara sat in the silence with her own thoughts for a while. She couldn't believe that this was a possibility. She had forgotten to take a couple when her and Ville flew back to see her dad when he was in the hospital and she forgot one here and there when she was back in Finland, but she would always take them the next day. She was in shock. She had never felt so alone as she had in that moment.

When Lina arrived back home she found Klara in the tub. She was ashen faced and quiet. She placed the bag from the drug store on the bathroom counter. She didn't know what to do for her daughter except sit in silence with her.

She finally broke the silence, "You have to come out of the water some time, sweet. Everything will be alright, I promise." Lina comforted.

"I'm just so scared, mom." Klara sighed.

"I know you are. I'm scared for you but you're one of the strongest people I know, Klara," Lina comforted, trying not to tear up, "But you can't hide from it forever."

Klara finally willed herself the energy to pull herself out of the tub and dry off. Lina was waiting outside the door, pacing around Klara's room. Klara put it off as long as she could, but she needed to know. 

Three minutes later she was still staring at the test. She was trembling. Two lines.

Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled over. She couldn't call him. This would ruin his life and she had no intentions of doing that to him.

Lina heard Klara sobbing and immediately went into the bathroom to hold her daughter. She was inconsolable. She didn't know what to say. Part of her was excited about being a grandmother but this was crappy circumstances. 

Klara finally calmed down and dragged herself back into bed. She was still in shock. She had always been so careful, she never thought this would have happened to her. She always put work first, but now. Now she didn't know what was going to happen. 

She was pregnant and the baby's father was halfway across the world.

"I don't know what to do, mom." Klara whispered into Lina's shoulder.

"Klara, my love. This isn't the end of the world. We will figure this out but you need to tell Ville." Lina whispered back.

"I can't. I can't call him now. Not like this. This would ruin everything for him." Klara said weakly.

"I can't make you do anything but for the sake of baby and father, I urge you to do so." Lina replied. "I have to get sleep for work tomorrow, please sleep, Klara. You need rest. I love you, my dearest." 

Klara laid awake for a few hours. She wondered what Ville was doing and if he was still thinking about her. She tried to process the fact that she had his child growing inside of her and her stomach was turning.

She decided to turn on her cellphone to see if he was still trying to reach her. Sure enough, she had new 18 voice mails and 27 missed texts. The more the texts and voice mails went on his speech became more slurred and his spelling was incomprehensible.

He was drinking again.

She hoped it was just drinking. As much as she wanted to hear his voice again, it wasn't like this. She debated on whether to text him and if he would even reply. She was scared to if he was still fucked up, especially with the state she was in. 

She began to read the texts; 

"Klara, why did you leave?"

"I just want to be yours." 

"I never wanted to be apart from you by choice. I just want you. I just want to kiss you, hold your hand, laugh with you, fuck you. I didn't want it to end like this or ever. You were the only person I could be myself around. I wanted to take care of you." 

"I just want to feel your hand in mine again."

"You've unlocked something in me, Klara. I shouldn't have let you walk out of the door."

She couldn't get through the rest of them without crying. Especially now. The tears started to fall.

"You have more of me than you realize, love, and you took it with you."

She couldn't look at any more. She turned her phone back off and stared at the ceiling, letting the tears flow freely. Her head was aching and her heart was pounding. 

What was she supposed to do now? A child would cause her career to come to a screeching halt. She fought with herself about telling Ville because she didn't want to do the same to his. She had to push herself though, it wasn't just about herself anymore.

First thing's first, she was going to make a doctors appointment in the morning. A blood test would confirm what the stick in the bathroom trashcan already told her. Second, regardless of whether she decided to tell Ville or not she needed to come up with a new game plan for her life.

Travelling may be out of reach for the foreseeable future so what was she going to do now? She never thought she would need a back up plan. This was one hell of a curve ball.

"What am I going to do?" Klara whispered aloud into an empty room.


	11. Spiraling.

In the two weeks since Klara's sudden departure Ville was busy with gigs the first and boozing any free time he had. In the midst of the beer and women throwing themselves at him he hadn't counted on what it was going to be like to return to a silent house. As soon as he got home he dropped his bags by the door and called up some of his mates to go out.

He wasn't going to stay there. He couldn't. He would keep calling her, it just felt wrong. But every time he drank he couldn't help but call or text.

She was obviously done with him so he did his best to be done with her as well. It wasn't as easy for him.

The next week was spent in and out of different bars, pounding back liquor, beer and lines of coke in the bathrooms. He was ashen faced, had blood shot eyes and random cigarette burns on his arms from when he would black out. 

Every day he would wake up sweating from booze and anxiety fueled nightmares he couldn't escape. His head was pounding. He would open his eyes and his thoughts would immediately go to her face. Every detail as if she was still near him, and back to the bottle he would go.

His parents called every day, he would tell them he was fine. He ignored his brother's calls all together. The only person he kept in contact besides drinking buddies was his oldest friend Mige.

"Why don't you just get on a plane and go to her? You know where her parents live don't ya?" Mige finally asked.

"I can't just get on a plane and go over there, Mige. She got dressed and walked out like I was a complete stranger." Ville replied, half drunk and trying to forget the small woman. "She hasn't even replied to any of my texts or voice mails. She doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Ah, mate. You're giving up too easy. Obviously there was something there. You wouldn't still be moping about when there's women staring at your from every corner of this bar if there wasn't." Mige laughed, half envious of his lanky friend's luck with women.

"I don't really care to bury my dick and problems in other women." Ville retorted before taking a drag of his cigarette. 

"Well you have to do somethin'. I haven't seen you this fucked up in years." Mige replied with concern in his voice.

Ville hadn't felt this way in a couple of years. Not since his ex nearly ruined his life. It took him years to get over that relationship and it's toxicity. 

Klara wasn't toxic but something definitely went wrong. He mulled over in his head for the two weeks she's been gone what made her leave. He knew the tour was very last minute but she still had work to do before she left Finland but it seemed like she dropped off of the face of the earth. 

He left her a voice mail every free moment he got. Sadly even when he was blacked out. He wasn't trying to be a pest, he just wanted to understand.

He didn't want to let go of her when together they held so much promise. 

This was the third night in a row Mige sat with him in this smoky barroom putting back pints and giving him the best advice he could. Ville told Mige everything about Klara and everything that had happened between them in their short time together. Surprisingly the larger man was supportive instead of weary like he usually was about the women Ville kept in his company. 

"I just want to know that she is ok, even if I can't be with her." Ville voiced.

It sounded horrible out loud. He didn't want to let go. It had only just begun. He was hurting but he wasn't angry with her. That's what surprised him the most. In past relationships he was quick to anger but he couldn't find it in himself to be angry. 

He was just lost.

His thoughts were interrupted by Mige.

"Have you thought about calling her parents?" Mige suggested.

"I haven't, but I don't know how to get into contact with them." Ville sighed.

"Mate. Use the Internet. Look them up. At least you would know she's ok. It would help put your mind at ease at least in the slightest, William." Mige laughed.

"I never thought about it. I've been so persistent about talking to her. I just miss her, Mige." Ville replied, trying to choke back the lump in his throat.

"Then let's get on it." Mige replied, pulling out his cell phone for Ville to use.

Ville typed in Klara's mother's name and within minutes was able to find the home phone number for Ethan and Lina Stocke. He kicked himself for not thinking about this sooner. He typed the are code and number into his phone and walked out of the noisy barroom and onto the sidewalk.

His hands were shaking. Either from the amount of booze he had been drinking lately or his nerves, he couldn't distinguish. He stared at the number on his screen and finally hit dial.

"Hello?" A weary sounding Ethan answered after the 5th ring.

"Ethan, it's Ville." He answered, his voice trembling.

"I've been waiting on your call, my friend. She's here and safe." Ethan replied in a friendly voice.

Ville breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"I've been trying to get into contact with her, Ethan. She won't talk to me. I would have called you sooner but I didn't even think about it." Ville sighed.

"I understand, Ville. Lina and I have been trying to get her to call you. She's just-she's stubborn like her old dad." Ethan laughed.

"Do you have any idea of why she left so suddenly?" Ville asked, nervous by what Ethan's response would be.

"She was scared, Ville. She's felt loss before and she was scared of losing again. That girl loves you. More than you realize, if you haven't realized it yet. She just couldn't face what she thought what inevitably happen. I tried to tell her different but like I said, stubborn. So she came back home where she feels safe." Ethan explained.

Ville breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't something he had done.

"There is something I have to tell you though. I didn't want you to find out this way but she would probably never call you. She told Lina she was scared she was going to ruin your life." Ethan said with concern in voice.

"What is it?" Ville asked, his stomach turning.

"She's pregnant, Ville." 

"W-what?" Ville stuttered.

"Yes sir. I found out this morning from Lina. Klara went to the doctor this afternoon. She's 3 weeks along and they're both healthy." Ethan replied.

Ville felt his world swirling around him. The woman that he loved was carrying his child and she was too scared to tell him. He had to go to her.

"I'm booking a flight as soon as I can, Ethan. I'm coming to her. Don't tell Klara. I don't want her to be upset that you talked to me." Ville replied.

"I'm glad to hear it, my boy. I won't say a word, but call me when your flight touches down and I'll come pick you up." Ethan cheerfully replied.

"Thank you so much, Ethan. I'll see you soon." Ville replied before hanging up.

As fucked up as the situation still was he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He was going to be a father. He knew what he had to do.

He walked back into the bar and made his way back to the table where Mige was sitting, still grinning from ear to ear. 

"How'd it go, mate?" Mige asked, a confused grin on his face.

"I talked to Ethan, her father. He gave me some news that I wasn't expecting." Ville replied.

"Well go on. You're making me nervous. What is it?" Mige pressed.

"Klara is three weeks along. I'm going to be a father." Ville beamed.

"You're shitting me?" Mige laughed, "You don't look nearly as terrified about something like that as I thought you would." 

"I love her. I'm getting on a plane as soon as I can to go and meet her. Ethan's going to pick me up at the airport because she doesn't know." Ville grinned.

"Well mate! One more round before you go!"

Ville sat and contemplated everything Ethan just told him over the phone while Mige was grabbing two more beers. He felt a whirlwind of anxiety and emotions. He was excited above all and that surprised him just as much as it surprised Mige.

Mige made his way back into the corner booth and handed Ville a beer.

"To fatherhood!" Mige cheered.

"To fatherhood." Ville smiled.

The clinked glass, both chugged their beers before they made their way out of the bar. Mige drove Ville home to pick up his bags while Ville booked a flight in the car, shortly after  dropping him off at the airport.

"Let me know when you land, brother. And Good luck." Mige shouted before Ville closed the car door.

He waved his friend off and made his way through the airport. Nerves were starting to set in. What if she didn't want him there?

He hoped she would. He wanted to be there for her. More so than ever.

He was right on time for his flight and he nervously boarded the red eye flight. 12 hours and he would see her face again. He tried to sleep but he couldn't. 

He was feeling a strange mixture of giddiness and fear, but he knew. He was on his way to the only thing that's felt like home in his adult life, and he smiled.


	12. You're my haven in life.

It was half past 5 when Klara's eyes unexpectedly sprung open. She hadn't been sleeping well so she was understandably pissed off when she saw the time. She trudged down the stairs in search of coffee.

She still didn't know what to expect in the future with being pregnant but she refused to mope around in bed any longer. The blood test at the doctor's office the day before gave her the motivation not to be a sad lump. She wasn't just living for  herself anymore. 

She wasn't surprised to see her dad sitting at the table with toast and his newspaper. As much as she enjoyed her career and traveling it was the little things like this she missed the most when she was gone. She always had a healthy relationship with both of her parents and she missed the talks they had when she was gone.

Ethan smiled when he saw Klara awake and walking into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Wasn't expecting you to be up before the sun. There's coffee in the pot." Ethan smiled.

"Good morning, daddio. I wasn't expecting to be either." Klara laughed as she put her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek.

She dug around in the cabinet for her favorite coffee cup, fixed her coffee and sat at the table with Ethan.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Ethan inquired.

"I'm fine. No morning sickness or anything yet. I wouldn't even have guessed until mom figured it out." Klara replied.

"That's your mom's intuition. It's scary sometimes." Ethan laughed.

"You seem to be taking this pretty well, dad. I know this is pretty unexpected to say the least." Klara mumbled.

"Unexpected but nothing to be upset about. Me and your mom are both pretty excited about being grandparents. But-" Ethan started.

"But have I told Ville yet, right?"

"You know me too well. You have to tell him sooner rather than later, Klara. The baby is his too regardless of how you think it will be a change to his life." Ethan pointed out.

"I know, dad. I plan on calling him today." Klara answered, biting her nails.

She didn't know how that phone call would go in the slightest. She's been ignoring him for two weeks. She had no idea what state he'd be in at this point. 

"Probably pissed." She thought to herself.

"What are your plans for the day?" Ethan asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"I'm going to go for a walk and watch the sun rise. I'll probably go get some breakfast and come home and take a nap after that." Klara replied. 

"Sounds like an excellent plan. Be careful and dress warm. It's supposed to be a windy one today, my dear." Ethan smirked.

"Ok, daddio. I'll see you later this afternoon." She said, giving him another kiss on the cheek.

Klara hurriedly pulled on boots and a jacket, pulled her hair back and started the hike to the nearest hill to watch the sun rise. She hadn't been home to do this for some time but it was one of her favorite things to do growing up. Especially on a crisp fall morning like it was.

She sat on a blanket on the hill and thought about how different her life was about to become. She didn't look anywhere close to pregnant at the moment but she knew soon enough that would change as well. She thought back to when she was a child herself, and how that didn't seem like that long ago. 

She knew her parents wouldn't be upset with her over this, they weren't really the sorts to fly off the handle but she didn't expect them to take it as graciously as they have either. She was never apposed to children but she never thought about them before this either. 

It was just to tell Ville. He crept up into her mind more so than not. She honestly just missed him more than anything. She regretted leaving but she felt like she was doing the right thing at the moment by protecting herself. Even though she just ended up hurting the both of them in the end.

The sun crept up over the hill and within minutes the sky was lit up and the birds in the nearby trees started chirping. She pulled her cellphone out of her jacket pocket and turned it on. There were a few unread messages and emails. 

She had turned in what photos she got in Finland the day before to the publishers that hired her. They emailed to say they were pleased with her work and how little time it took her to get them. They didn't know the half of it. 

She exited her email and tears stung her eyes when she saw the background that she had set on her phone back in Finland. The photo she caught of Ville looking up at the moon the night of their first date at the park. He looked so happy.

She went into her contacts and her finger hovered over Ville's name until she got up the courage to hit dial. She was expecting it to ring a few times and have him answer it either drunk or hungover. What she wasn't expecting was it to go straight to voice mail. 

Had he ignored her call? She didn't know but she tried to call again. Straight to voice mail yet again. She sat for a few minutes wiping tears that fell on her cheeks until she pulled herself together and decided to walk to get breakfast.

She walked down main street to the diner and was greeted by familiar faces before she sat in her favorite corner booth and ordered the usual when she was home. Two eggs, bacon and pancakes. She stared at her phone sitting on the table top, waiting.

For what? She didn't know. For him to call or text her out of the blue. Her thoughts were interrupted when the waitress set down her plate. 

She ate her food in solitude. After a while she looked at the time. She figured it was as good a time as any for a nap so she trudged her way home, her heart feeling bruised. Lina was there to greet her.

"Good afternoon, my sweet. How are we feeling today?" Lina asked cheerfully, but she could see in Klara's face that something was wrong.

"I'm just tired. About to go up and take a nap." Klara mumbled.

"Is there something wrong?" Lina asked, concerned. 

"I tried to call him. It went straight the voicemail." Klara answered, choking back tears.

"It's all going to be ok, my sweet. His phone is probably just dead." She reassured, trying to hide what she knew. 

Ethan was already on his way to pick up Ville at the airport. Ville called the house an hour and half after Klara left when be touched down and Lina answered. He explained everything to Lina and she was overjoyed. Little did Klara know that he was going to be there in an hour.

"Thanks, mom. I love you." Klara answered before she gave her mom a hug.

She made her way upstairs, laid down and fell into a surprisingly deep sleep.

She woke up, Saint's knows how much later, to someone rubbing her shoulder. She groggily rolled over expecting to see Lina trying to wake her. She was immediately wide awake when she saw Ville was in her bed.

"Ville!" She exclaimed, her eyes immediately tearing up "How did you get here?"

"Shhhh, my love. Come here." Ville soothed as he pulled her into into a hug.

Klara sobbed into his shoulder for a couple of minutes while he soothed her until she could calm down enough to form a sentence.

"How did you get here, Ville?" She asked excitedly.

"I wasn't getting through to you so as a last ditch effort Mige talked me into calling your parents last night. Ethan answered and we had a long conversation last night. I decided to hop on a redeye and fly over." He beamed.

"Did dad tell you?" She asked, her lip trembling.

"He didn't want to but he did. I had to get to you as soon as I could, my love. I don't care what happened. I couldn't stay away." He replied, tearing up. 

"I'm so sorry, Ville. For everything. I didn't mean for this to happen. My birth control got all fucked up when we flew back to see dad and I didn't mean for-"

"Klara. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. Please don't apologize. We didn't plan for this but I'm over the moon, my love." He comforted, wiping Klara's tears.

"I missed you so much. I've been so miserable." Klara cried.

"So have I. I could barely function without you, Klara." 

"I can tell. You look like shit." Klara laughed through her tears.

"Thanks, love. Appreciated." Ville laughed.

Ville immediately pulled her into a deep kiss. Their hearts were racing and they had to catch their breath when they finally parted. They both smiled and Klara pressed her forehead against his. 

She stared into his green eyes and admired how beautiful they were even though they looked incredibly tired.

He pulled her to him and placed his hand on her stomach. 

"You can't tell right now. I don't go in for an ultrasound for another two weeks." Klara grinned.

"It doesn't matter. I just wanted to, just knowing. This is crazy." He laughed.

Klara leaned in and kissed his neck. Before she knew it she was un buckling his pants and he was pulling hers down. He felt how wet she was and he got frissons all the way down his spine. He pulled her closely with her back to him and cradled her. 

He eased himself into her. She grabbed his arm and gasped. She felt so tight around him. 

"I missed you so much, Klara." He murmured into her ear.

"I love you, Ville." She moaned.

Hearing that made him groan. He pulled her closer to him and he rocked his hips against her until she began to whimper. He started to throb and he knew he wouldn't be far behind her. A few moments later and they were melting into each other. 

For a few minutes they both laid, catching their breath before they got re dressed.

"I love you too, Klara. So much, my love." He whispered into her ear. 

Klara wasn't expecting them to make love but it was almost a comfort. She thought she lost him after she couldn't reach him that morning and now he was here in her bed. She nearly had to pinch herself to make sure it was really happening.

Before she could even finish that thought, she heard gentle snore. She turned her head to see him already fast asleep. He looked completely exhausted compared to the night she left him.

She saw how rough the past couple weeks had been on him. She didn't think she mattered that much, but here he was. Now they were both about to be parents. 

She gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek and whispered "I love you so much more, Ville Hermanni Valo."


	13. Moth to the flame.

After spending a week and a half tangled up in each other, Ville knew it was coming time to fly back to Finland the next day. He was dreading it with every fiber of his being but he knew it was time to get back in the studio and to his career. Ethan and Lina had treated him as nothing less than family since he arrived but he was becoming homesick. 

He had been scribbling words into a notebook every chance he got, writing new songs. Some working out better than others. He would write when he couldn't sleep and sometimes he would catch Klara staring at him sleepily and run his hands through her hair until she dozed back off. 

Morning sickness had kicked in full swing the last couple of days. He did his best to help but he felt useless besides holding her hair and rubbing her back when it finally died down enough to get her back into bed.

He hated leaving her like this but he knew she was in good hands until she could fly over to be with him at his home. They agreed after her next two doctors appointments that she'd go to stay with him when they knew she and the baby were in good health to travel. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving what had overnight become his family but he still had to continue on with his music, especially after Klara urged him to do so. 

She made it perfectly clear to him that she didn't want this to put his career on pause. They had 9 months until the baby would arrive and there wasn't much he could do until then. Her support only made him love her more.

He had been dancing around the idea of proposing marriage to Klara the past few days. He knew he had to talk to Ethan for his blessing and more so his advice. He waited until Klara was in a deep sleep like she had finally been falling into every night. 

He slipped out of her bed and crept out of the room downstairs and found Ethan where he was every night, still awake in his recliner reading. 

"Evening, Ville. What has you still up?" Ethan asked without looking up from his book.

"I actually-well, I needed to talk to you." Ville stuttered.

"What's on your mind, my boy?" Ethan inquired, finally setting down his book and looked at Ville over his glasses.

"I, well. I've been thinking about asking Klara to marry me and I just needed your advice." Ville replied nervously.

"My advice, huh?," Ethan laughed.

Ville felt his palms start sweating and his throat go dry when Ethan laughed but he simply nodded.

"My advice to you would be   
to wait. Waiting will hurt nothing. Wait until you can both figure out where you want put down roots. She's in a whirlwind of emotions right now and so are you. You don't have to rush into marriage. You already have a baby to prepare for, why tack on more obligations? You'd be neck deep in stress, Ville." Ethan responded.

"I suppose you're right," Ville sighed, "I just thought it would be the right thing to do."

"And it would be. If this were the 1800's. But it isn't, and you both need to figure out what it is you both want before you dive headfirst into something like that. Marriage isn't about just doing the right thing and there is plenty of time for that later. Right now, at this very moment, my advice would be to concentrate on the tasks already at hand." Ethan explained.

Ville sat quiet for a few moments, taking in everything Ethan just said. He was right. Everything had already been progressing so rapidly with Klara that he just assumed why not about marriage. But Ethan was right. He wanted it to be more than just a "Why not" scenario when he proposed marriage.

"Thank you, Ethan. I really needed to hear that." Ville smirked.

"Any time. I care about the both of you and I just want both of you to be happy in the long run. Even if my advice can sometimes come off harsh." Ethan laughed, "Well I'm off to bed Ville. You should get some sleep. I'll see you in the mornin." Ethan said, patting Ville on his shoulder before shuffling to his bedroom. 

Ville sat in the silence of the front room for some time, lost in his own thoughts. He knew Ethan was right but he couldn't help but feel sad about it. He rested his head on the back of the sofa and couldn't help but feel lost. 

After a few minutes of feeling sorry for himself he decided to go out for one last smoke. He sat on a wooden rocking chair on the porch, lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. He heard the door unexpectedly squeak behind him and turned to see Klara walking onto the porch. She was bundled in a sweater, had sleepy eyes and bedhead.

He swore he had never seen such beautiful creature before, even in this state.

"How are you feeling, my love?" He asked, sniffing out his cigarette and patted his lap for her to sit. 

"Groggy and a little dizzy." She replied in a sleepy voice, taking her place on his lap, "I'm sorry, you could have finished your cigarette."

"It's quite alright. I need to slow down anyways, I suppose." He replied, pushing her hair out of her eyes, "I heard smoke was bad for children." He laughed.

"Something tells me there's some truth behind that rumor." Klara giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Oh, I'm not ready to leave you, Klara." Ville whispered, burying his face in her neck.

"I know, babe, but after I get the ok from the doctor I'll be there with you." Klara reassured. 

"It's just going to feel like a fucking eternity until then." Ville whispered back.

"For me too, but you'll be able to work on your music and spend time with your family and friends. It will work out, I promise." Klara murmured. 

"I know, sweet. Not soon enough, but I know. You should go lie back down. I'm going to finish my cigarette and i'll be right behind you." Ville smirked.

"Oh, will you?" Klara winked and laughed before heading inside.

Ville giggled to himself about her response. It was the little things that was going to make leaving in the morning even harder. He re lit his cigarette and leaned back in the chair.

By the time he made his way back upstairs and crawled into bed the small woman was already snoring. He climbed in next to her and pulled her towards him and held her while she slept for what would be the last time for a while. Tears welled up in his eyes.

He didn't know how he was going to handle this back home. He wasn't ready for tomorrow. The time they had spent together seemed to fly by. 

He wiped his eyes and watched her sleep. He gently laid his hand on her stomach and thought about what was to be. The tears returned and he quietly whispered "I love you both.".

Eventually he must have fallen asleep because before he knew it he was being nudged awake by Klara with what looked like a plate of pancakes and coffee. When he finally got his eyes to focus he realized she looked better than she had the past few mornings. She was smiling but she still looked sad.

"Morning, love." Ville yawned and stretched. 

"Good morning." Klara replied in a sing song voice.

"How are you feeling? You look so much better than the past few mornings." Ville asked.

"I feel much better." Klara laughed. "Just not ready for today."

"Neither am I." Ville mumbled.

"Well, eat your breakfast. I'm going to shower." Klara replied.

"Can I join you instead?" Ville smirked.

"Like I could tell you no." Klara winked, pulling him by the hand to her shower. 

What started out as what was going to be shower sex turned into Ville holding Klara while the warm water ran over them. They were both having trouble letting go of each other. They kissed like they were never going to see each other again. 

Once they finished their shower and made their way back to Klara's bed, they made love like they never had before. Ville kissed every part of her body before he entered her for what would be the last time for a month. He felt like he could never be close enough to her. 

Their breathing was ragged and he couldn't get enough of her hazel eyes looking at him so intensely while he was inside of her. They climaxed together and held one another until Klara noticed the time.

"Shit, Ville. We're running late." Klara groaned.

"Get dressed, Klara. All I need to do is throw my shit into my bag and I'm ready." Ville replied.

"That's really all you need to do? Klara giggled until Ville realized he was still stark naked.

"At least I don't have to worry about getting stripped searched at the airport." Ville laughed.

An hour later they arrived at the airport right in the nick of time. Ville checked in and his plane was boarding in 5 minutes. This was the part he had been dreading.

He could see Klara was choking back tears and he started to tear up himself. He pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her forehead. He pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes.

The hazel eyes he adored from the moment he laid his on them. 

"I love you, Klara. This time apart will fly by and we will be in each other's arms again soon." Ville reassured the best he could.

"I know, Ville. I just-just- my emotions are already haywire and I wish you didn't have to go." Klara whimpered.

"Look at me, love." Ville demanded. "This isn't forever. A month's time and you will be in my arms again. I have to go now. I love you, Klara Leonore."

"I love you too, Ville." Klara replied, forcing a weak smile.

"I will call you as soon as I land." Ville reassured. 

Ville gave her one last squeeze and they shared a kiss before he had to walk down the hall to board his flight. He tried not to but he couldn't help but turn around one more time before he passed through the door. Klara gave him one last wave and Ville tried his best to smile.

30 minutes into his flight and he couldn't breathe. His hands were trembling and he could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He scoured his bag for the inhaler he hadn't needed in weeks. He felt wave after wave of panic pass over him. 

It just felt wrong. He knew everything would work out but right now he just felt plain wrong leaving her. She looked so small when he was walking away from her. 

It took Ville a few minutes to get his breathing regulated again and his mind calmed down. He was just having trouble shaking the feeling of dread. After a while he felt back to normal and he leaned his head back to try and sleep. 

The panic attack drained what little energy he had because the sound that woke him up was the landing announcements. He gathered himself, his bag and made his way out of the airport to hail a taxi back to his house.

He finally made it to his house, set down his bag and fell back on his couch. He was exhausted. He turned on his phone to check the time and realized Klara would be sleeping if he called so he settled on a text.

"I made it home safe and sound, Klara. I love you and began to miss you as soon as I let you out of my arms."

He hit send and rested his head on the back of the sofa. He decided to pick up his guitar and began picking different sounds he had been having stuck in his head when his phone began ringing. He set down the guitar and smiled, figuring it was Klara in reply to his text. 

He picked up his phone and frowned at the number he didn't recognize but decided to answer it anyways.

"Hello?" Ville asked, annoyed.

"Halloo, Ville Valo." A familiar, smoky female voice answered.

"What in the fuck do you want, Jonna?" Ville demanded.


	14. Virulent.

"Jonna, I'm not dealing with your bullshit right now." Ville snapped.

"Ohhh, Valo. I thought you'd be happy to hear from me." Jonna cooed.

"No. I'm not. I specifically told you that I never wanted to speak to you again and to never try and contact me again for any reason." Ville replied coldly.

"Oh but honey, I'm in town and I thought you'd want to recreate some of the old times." Jonna replied in an overtly pouting voice.

"Recreate what? You screaming in my fucking ear until it bled and I almost lost hearing in it? Just-just fuck off." Ville snapped.

His heart was pounding and his anger got the best of him. He threw his phone so hard it cracked and left a dent in the wall. He didn't even want to deal with it. Any of it.

Now he couldn't breathe.

He reached into his pocket for his inhaler and realized it wasn't there. His breathing was getting shallower by the second as panic set in. He rummaged through his bag and couldn't find it. 

His head was spinning and he felt himself passing out. He stumbled backwards onto his couch and felt his consciousness slipping away. 

"I can't believe this is how it's going to fucking end." Was the last clear thought he had as everything faded around him.

There was a bright light and he momentarily panicked until he realized he was staring up at the light in his living room while someone was trying to give him his inhaler. His breathing started to regulate and his eyes slowly came into focus. 

Jonna.

"What in the fuck are you doing here." Ville rasped out.

"Saving your life, Valo. I thought you would be more appreciative." she snapped.

"I thought I told you I never wanted to speak to you again. Why are you here and how did you even get in?" Ville countered.

"You were upset. I came to check on you. I know how your asthma responds to your temper and I remembered where you keep a spare key so I let myself in." She answered.

"I don't want your help, Jonna. Just leave." Ville fumed.

"You really know how to show appreciation, Ville." Jonna scoffed, "Your inhaler was on the kitchen counter, by the way. "

"Look, Jonna. Thank you, but goodbye." Ville replied.

"Fine. If that's how this is going to be. I'll just see you around, Ville." Jonna winked. 

"Not if I'm lucky." Ville retorted.

Jonna opened the door to the house and turned around to flip off Ville before she walked out. 

"What in the hell?" Ville mumbled to himself.

Not only had she had the audacity to call him but she had the audacity to, well, save his life? 

He shook his head. He wasn't going to overthink it but hopefully that would be the last time he would be seeing her. He hadn't been in the same room with her for a year and half. He didn't intend to start making a habit out of it now.

He stood up from the couch and stumbled back momentarily, his head was still spinning after passing out. What did Jonna even want from him? She hated him and she made sure to tell him that every chance she got in the past. 

He walked over to where his cellphone lay in three pieces on the floor and crouched down to inspect the damage. He fucked up. How would he get in touch with Klara? 

He'd have to go get another phone the next day. He couldn't help but think "This wouldn't be happening if it weren't for that dreadful woman." Just as he heard loud knocking on his front door. He stormed over to answer it.

"Jonna, I thought I fucking told you-" 

"Whoa, whoa, Jonna?" Mige asked with a confused look on his face.

"Oh thank fuck, it's you." Ville replied, pulling Mige by his arm quickly into the house.

"Why did you think I was going to be Jonna?" Mige asked without trying to hide his annoyance.

"She fucking called me out of the blue and in so many words asked me to be a fuck buddy while she's here doing whatever it is she's doing." Ville stammered, "I got so angry that I broke my phone, had an asthma attack and passed out. When I woke up she was just in my house giving me my inhaler."

"How did she even get in here?" Mige questioned.

"I never moved that damned spare key." Ville answered. "Why is this happening, Mige?"

"Please don't over think it, mate. Move your key and try to avoid the crazy lady. I have an old phone in the car you can use as well." Mige responsed. "Now that that's sorted, how about a beer?"

"Sounds more than great. Get me out of this trap." Ville laughed.

They went to their usual spot, the same spot where Ville found out he was going to be a dad. He didn't feel safe at home but when they walked through the entrance of the bar he realized he wasn't safe there either. There was Jonna, sitting on a barstool with people around her, hanging onto her ever word. 

"If only they knew her, truly." Ville thought to himself.

Jonna smirked at Ville when their eyes met, but he only raised an eyebrow and turned his head.

Once they were safely in their usual corner booth Mige immediately busted into laughter. 

"What is seriously with this broad?" Mige marveled, "You could swear your dick is made out of gold." 

"Or that she's an utter psycho." Ville replied while lighting a cigarette.

He barely even had his cigarette lit when Jonna began to saunter up to the table. Her hair an attractive mess and jeans just a little too tight like they always were. But Ville knew her a little too well to ever think she was attractive again. 

He took a drag off his cigarette, trying to ignore her presence lingering while he and Mige shot each other a pair of eyes. Until she cleared her throat. 

"Can I help you, Jonna?" Ville asked without even looking up.

"You could be a little more polite, Ville. Considering I did save your life today." She made sure to say loud enough for Mige to hear. 

"You were also the reason my life was in danger in the first place." Ville replied, still avoiding meeting her eyes.

She simply stared in disbelief and huffed until she shot a pair of eyes at Mige when he started laughing again 

"I don't understand why you find this so amusing, Mige." She asked angrily.

"Come off it, Jonna. I never liked you." Mige spat.

"Nor I you, Mige. You-" 

"Enough." Ville stated. "Jonna. Go."

"Fine. I'll be seeing you later, Ville." Jonna winked, yet again, and walked away.

"For the love of Christ, I hope not." Ville grumbled. 

"What is with that creature?" Mige asked aloud.

"Issues, mate." Ville replied, rolling his eyes. "She's not used to me not giving into her. Or anyone not giving into her for that matter."

She sauntered over to a small group of guys and smiled at Ville over her shoulder. Clearly trying to get a rise out of him but she didn't realize it wouldn't come. Until at her dismay, Ville and Mige got up and walked out of the bar.

"Where to now, mate?" Mige asked.

"Anywhere but here." Ville responded.

They ended up at another bar across town drinking until 12:45 when they decided to call it a night. Ville didn't feel wasted but he knew he had quite a bit to drink when he tripped walking into his house after Mige dropped him off. 

He heard knocking on his door a minute after he kicked off his shoes and was starting to walk upstairs. 

"Forgot something, Mig-" 

He was surprised to open the door and see Jonna standing in his doorway in a long black over coat. He had a bad feeling he knew where this was going. Of course she would pull this. This is what she would do before when they would argue. 

Sex fixed everything.

"Jonna, I'm really not in the fucking mood." Ville snapped.

"You don't have a choice, Mr. Valo." Jonna replied, shoving him back towards his couch and pushing him down.

Ville stared in disbelief. She was actually trying to do this. She was actually not hearing anything he had been saying.

"Jonna, stop."

She opened her jacket and dropped it down, revealing nothing else on except the black combat boots on her feet and the smile on her face. 

"Jonna, you need to stop. I do not want this and neither do you." Ville insisted, trying to push her way.

She shoved him back again and climbed onto his lap, scratching the back of his neck and began kissing his throat. He let out an involuntary and unexpected moan. 

He could feel his body beginning to betray him. 

But he thought of Klara. She was alone and carrying his child. This could never happen. 

"Jonna!" Ville shouted, taking back control of himself and the situation. 

She stood back in surprise and stared. 

"Jonna. I have someone. I'm going to be a father." Ville finally broke the silence. 

"Are you fucking serious, Ville?" Jonna shouted. 

"Yes." Ville responded.

"We were together for almost three years and you wouldn't even consider a child, and now this." Jonna cried.

"Jonna. We were toxic and not stable. We were toxic to each other, it wasn't just you. I'm not the same and you are. That's the difference now." Ville replied.

"When did you even meet her?" Jonna demanded. 

"Two and a half months ago." Ville answered.

"You've know her for 2 months!" Jonna screamed.

"And I've loved her more in those 2 months than you would have ever allowed me to love you in a lifetime." Ville replied.

"I can't even fucking deal with this. I hate you." Jonna spat, pulling her overcoat back on and storming out of the house. 

She slammed the door so hard the tower shook. Ville slumped back on the couch with his head between his hands. He didn't even know if there was an emotion on the spectrum for what he was feeling. 

He felt something under his ass and reached his band underneath to find the phone Mige was letting him use. He needed to hear Klara's voice. He went into the recently dialed calls to find Klara's number from when talked on the way to bar in the car earlier. 

To his abject horror there was an outgoing call to her number at 1:17 . He was in a panic, knowing that whatever she heard in the 26 seconds after she answered and before she hung up would be taking really bad without him being able to explain. 

He couldn't breathe. He reached into his pocket for his inhaler and it was there this time. He took 3 deep breaths out of his inhaler and hit dial on Klara's number.

"The person you have dialed cannot be reached at this time."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Ville shouted.

He tried three more times before he realized his number was blocked. He tried sending her texts and none of them would send until it dawned on him that he had no way of getting in touch with her and that she had in fact blocked him.

The tears came quick. He sat on the floor and sobbed. He had lost his family.

He did the only thing he could think to do and called Mige. 

"Oy Mate. Lose the way back to your bedroom?" Mige laughed.

Mige was answered with sobs. 

"What's going on, Ville?" Mige asked concerned.

"I think I just lost my fucking family, Mige." Ville sobbed. 

"I'm on my way back to you. Hold on, Valo." Mige responded.

Everything started to go dark for the second time in 24 hours. 

"I can't breathe."


	15. Too close of a call.

Klara sat on the back porch with a blank canvas. Not aiming to paint anything in particular, it was just cathartic. It had been so long since she had enough time to even think about painting. Ethan surprised her earlier that afternoon with a blank canvas and a handful of colors he thought she would like.

He had worried she would wallow when Ville left but he was doing his best to keep her mind busy. She seemed fine but he knew how Klara bottled her emotions. She didn't say more than a handful of words when she got back from dropping Ville at the airport the week before so he and Lina tried to come up with a game plan.

Klara loved to paint growing up. It was never more than a hobby but she was very good and both of her parents  knew it. She loved surrealism especially and even had a few paintings of hers hanging around their house.

Their favorite was the self portrait she painted for them when she was 19. Ville admired it when he was staying with them and Ethan had even thought about giving it to him but he decided to keep it because they didn't have many pictures of Klara. She was the one always behind the camera, even at a young age.

Klara decided on what she wanted to do and began working with the colors she had. She started painting the marina back in Helsinki from memory. The water and moonlight swirling together in grays and blues. 

Her phone began to ring. She looked down and saw it was Ville and her mood immediately improved. 

"Hey you." Klara answered.

"Hello, my love." Ville chimed.

"It's so good to hear your voice. I've been missing you." Klara pouted.

"I miss you too, love. It's good to hear yours too." Ville responded. 

"How is your night going?" Klara asked.

"I've had better. I had a bit of an accident earlier and broke my phone. Mige's letting me use a spare one of his until I can buy a new one." Ville sighed.

"Oh, well that's nice of him. I'm sorry to hear about it breaking though. They definitely aren't cheap to replace." Klara replied.

"It's alright. Shit happens as they say. I'll let you go, love. I just wanted to hear your voice." Ville cooed.

"Alright, Mr. Valo. I love you." Klara giggled.

"I love you too, Klara. I'll text you in a little while when I've managed to figure out this phone." Ville laughed.

"Sounds good." Klara laughed.

After they hung up Klara dove back into her painting. Trying to mimic the movement of water was more complicated than she remembered. She figured she could get a way with a more whimsical look if it didn't turn out quite like she wanted.

"That's coming along beautiful, Klara." Lina complimented from the doorway.

"Thank you, it needs a lot of work though." Klara frowned.

"You underestimate yourself, darling daughter." Lina responded.

"It's just not quite right." Klara whispered.

"Is this somewhere you have been?" Lina asked.

"It's the bay where me and Ville walked on our first date." Klara responded. 

"Well, it's very beautiful. A happy memory." Lina commented. 

"One of my favorite memories." Klara muttered. 

"And you two will have many more." Lina stated, kissing her daughter on the forehead and walked back into the house.

Klara sat and worked on the painting for a couple of hours more until the natural light faded from the porch. She wasn't sure she liked how it was turning out but she knew she was just being over critical of herself. She'd finish it tomorrow.

Right after she was done cleaning her brushes and putting her paints away, her phone began to ring. It surprised her to see Ville's name on the screen. Hopefully everything was ok. She picked up but couldn't hear anything besides the shuffling of movements.

"Hello?" Klara answered, confused.

No response. He must have accidentally dialed her so she listened closer and suddenly heard a woman's voice. It sounded far off but she could tell it was female voice. Then she heard a moan. 

Her heart dropped.

That was definitely Ville's. She was so shocked that she just hung up her phone. Tears stung her eyes and her stomach turned. She ran up the stairs to her room and slammed her door.

"I knew this was too good to be true." She cried to herself, "I'm done."

She picked up her phone and blocked his number from calling or texting. In her emotional state he could never explain his way out of what she heard. She knew what she heard.

"Klara, what is wrong?" Lina asked from the door way with a concerned look on her face.

"Ville just accidentally called my phone and I heard a woman's voice then-then I heard him moan." Klara sobbed.

"Oh, Klara." Lina sighed, sitting down on the bed to console her daughter, "Did you try calling him back to get an explanation?" 

"There's no use. I know what I heard." Klara whimpered.

"Maybe there is, Klara. Ville seemed so devoted, there has to be some sort of explanation." Lina commented.

"There isn't. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later." Klara whispered.

"Come now, child. You need to catch your breath and calm down." Lina stated.

Klara continued to sob while Lina rubbed her back. Her stomach started to cramp up and she finally started trying to calm down. 

"Mom, my stomach." Klara groaned.

"What's wrong with it, Klara?" Lina asked.

"It's hurting so bad. I don't know what's going on." Klara gasped.

"Where does it hurt?" Lina asked.

Klara pointed to her pelvic area and Lina instantly knew that it wasn't a good sign.

"We have to get you to the hospital, now." Klara demanded.

Lina helped Klara to the car and sped the entire way to the hospital with Klara writhing in pain. When they got into the waiting room, Lina explained that Klara was pregnant and they immediately took her to the back. Klara was frightened when they got her into a room, she didn't understand what was going on. 

The cramps had somewhat subsided but she was still having tests ran and they took her to an ultrasound room. They spread the cold gel on her abdomen and she winced. The technician began rubbing the wand over her stomach, trying to get a view of the baby

Klara was just trying to get a read on the tech's face but she was deadpan. After a minute the tech breathed a sigh and Klara could tell it was one of relief.

"What's going on?" Klara asked.

"I thought for sure with the severe cramping that you were miscarrying but look." The tech pointed at the screen.

Klara looked and could see a faint fluttering. She hadn't even had an ultrasound with her regular doctor yet so this was the first time she saw the baby. It looked like a kidney bean.

"What is that?" Klara asked.

"That's your baby's heartbeat. For as far along as you are, it's right on time." The tech explained. 

Tears immediately sprang to Klara's eyes. She wished she could have shared this moment with Ville but Saint's knows what he was even doing. It was such a beautiful sight but she couldn't even enjoy it.

"Have you been stressed lately?" The tech asked.

"I have been, on and off." Klara sniffled.

"If I were you I would go home and stay in bed as much as possible. You're still in the time frame where the pregnancy is delicate so I would try to get rest and avoid stressful situations." The tech explained. "Do you want a picture of the bean?" 

"Of course." Klara sniffled and giggled.

Klara walked out of the room to the doctor explaining to Lina exactly what had happened to Klara. The cramps were normal but stress probably exacerbated them in the delicate state her and the baby were both in. 

Klara waited until they got into the car to show her mom the ultrasound photo. Of course Lina squeeled with delight and Klara forced a small smile. She was still hurt and starting to get angry.

"We have to keep you under low stress and avoiding a lot of physical movement the doctor told me. Just until you two are out of the danger zone." Lina stated.

"I know. They explained that to me. I just don't understand how I'm supposed to not be stressed out right now." Klara muttered.

"We'll figure something out." Lina responded.

Klara was quiet for the rest of the drive. Not only could she not be stressed but she would have to stay in bed as much as possible. This was a nightmare.

She checked her phone out of habit and there was nothing there. Why would there be? She blocked the one person she wanted to talk to the most, but it seemed like the only option for the moment.

Seeing the heartbeat flutter on the screen struck the maternal instincts inside of her and she had to do what was best for the life inside of her. Even if Ville wasn't going to be in the picture. 

She didn't feel like crying anymore.

"I can do this on my own." she told herself.


	16. Ashes to Ashes.

It had been 3 weeks since Mige scooped a passed out Ville off of the floor. He wasn't in much better shape since then. Too scared to even attempt to call Ethan this time, he had all but given up hope. His career was taking off but the rest of his life was in shambles. 

He didn't leave his house unless he was going to the studio and he kept his shades drawn, even on the prettiest of days. They only made him think of her. 

She was across the Atlantic and he didn't have a way to find out anything about his child. He emailed her every day but be never got a response. He tried to explain himself in so many different ways until he didn't even have the words anymore.

It was simply hopeless.

Instead of throwing himself into alcohol like he normally would, he threw himself into his and the band's music. He kept as busy as he possibly could, even when he was isolating himself. Klara and the baby however, never left his mind.

He finally gathered the courage to tell his parents about his predicament. His parents were excited about a grandchild but also very concerned. His father told him to go to Klara as soon as he could, but Ville told him he didn't think it would be a good idea. Mostly because he was scared of her out right rejecting him face to face. 

He cursed Jonna and everything she had ever put him through.

He knew she was a damaged person but somehow, some way she always managed to drag him down with her. Even if he hadn't have been with Klara he couldn't have let himself go to that dark place with her again. Luckily, after his confession about becoming a father soon she never tried to contact him again.

Ville was smoking a cigarette on his sofa when he heard a loud knock at the door. He stamped out his cigarette in the ashtray and grumbled to himself as he walked to the door. He opened to find Mige with a wide smile and Linde right behind him.

"C'mon, Valo. Pack your shit." Mige 

"For what exactly?" Ville grumbled.

"Me and Linde are taking you up to the cabin to get you out of this fuckin' house." Mige declared, with Linde nodding in agreeance.

"Oh, Mige. I really don't feel up to it." Ville groaned.

"You don't have a choice." Mige laughed, "Go stuff some of shit in a bag, Linde." 

Linde moved passed him and jogged up the stairs to Ville's room.

"But Mige-" Ville started.

"No buts. Get your skinny ass in my car." Mige commanded, Eyebrows raised.

"Fine." Ville mumbled, pulling on his grey converses. 

"That's the spirit!" Mige cheered.

Ville climbed into the backseat of Mige's car and Mige followed with Linde carrying a bag of Ville's things. Mige rolled down the windows, put on a random Def Leppard song and began singing with Linde playing air drums and a still pouting Ville in the back seat. It didn't take him long to start laughing and singing along with them.

It took them a beer run and 3 and a half hours to get to the cabin but when they arrived Ville felt a weight life off his shoulders. He did really need this. He realized he owed a lot to Mige for everything he had done for him lately. 

Mige stopped in and would even bring him food on a daily basis, even if Ville would just pick at it. He couldn't stand to see the state Ville was in and didn't want to see his friend waste away. Again.

Ville sat on the back deck, smoking a cigarette and stared out at the lake. He watched the water slowly ripple to the shore after a passing boat. For a moment his head was clear and he didn't feel like he wanted to cry. He felt someone sit next to him but he was too entranced to look their way.

"You alright, Ville?" Linde asked softly, breaking Ville out of his trance.

"Yeah. For the moment. I just dazed off." Ville replied.

"We're worried about you, ya know?" Linde responded, and handed Ville and open beer.

Ville took a swig and finally looked at Linde. Linde had concern on his face and Ville felt guilty. He never intended them to worry about him.

"I know. Ville whispered after swallowing another chug of beer.

"We just want the old, happy Ville back." Replied Linde, taking a sip of his own beer.

Ville just nodded. 

Mige walked out to sit with them a few seconds later, his own beer in hand. 

"To friendship!" He said, knocking his beer into Linde and Ville's.

Ville laughed and they knocked their beers back into Mige's. The trio sat quietly and all watched the water until Mige broke the silence. 

"I think you should go state side." Mige told Ville.

"Why? So she can reject me?" Ville sighed.

"It's not just about you anymore, mate." Mige responded.

Ville had been thinking that way but it made him feel guilty hearing Mige voice it aloud. Mige was right but he didn't know how exactly it would if he just showed up in Pennsylvania at Ethan's doorstep. He would probably break his nose.

"I don't know how well that-" Ville started.

"It doesn't matter. It's the woman that you love and your first born child." Mige cut him off.

Ville nodded in response. 

"I really feel you should give it some thought." Linde added.

"I'll give it thought, but it all seems hopeless as fuck." Ville sighed.

"I don't believe that, mate!" Mige chimed, "Another round?"

Ville laughed and nodded along with Linde.

7 rounds of beers later and Linde was a chatter box. Mige and Ville laughed at Linde while he ranted about Guitar pedals and the sound guy on the last tour.

"And that's why I say we should fire his ass." Linde ended his rant. 

Ville and Mige laughed until their stomach hurt. 

"We'll look into that." Mige laughed.

"Good. I'm going piss." Linde slurred.

Ville laughed his goofy laugh and Mige just shook his head. 

"He really is something when he drinks." Mige laughed, patting Ville's shoulder, "You seem a bit more lighthearted than usual."

"I feel good right now. I really did need this, Mige. Thank you. For everything." Ville replied.

"Aw, Valo. I know you would do the same if the roles were reversed. Don't get soft on me." Mige laughed.

"I'm not," Ville laughed, " I just wanted you to know that." 

"Y'know what? Why don't you call her now?" Mige replied.

"I can't. She blocked my number, remember? Ville sighed.

"Use my phone. She hasn't blocked my number." Mige stated.

"I don't know." Ville responded.

"What do you have to lose?" Mige questioned.

Ville shrugged. 

"I guess your right." Ville mumbled.

Mige held out his phone. He shook it after Ville hesitated. Ville finally grabbed it.

He dialed her number. His heart was pounding and his skin felt hot. He finally hit dial and it began ringing. 

Too late to turn back now.

He didn't have the phone to his ear when he heard a soft "Hello?" On the other end. He put the phone to his ear and his heart was racing when heard another louder "Hello?". 

He hesitated at the sound of her voice. 

"Ville?" She asked. 

"Yes." He responded quietly. 

"What do you want, Ville?" She asked.

He could feel the anger behind the question.

"I just wanted to hear your voice." Ville responded softly.

He hears Klara sigh.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called. I don't want anything from you, Klara. I just wanted to hear your voice and know how the baby is doing. " Ville replied.

"Well. I'm on bed rest." Klara responded dryly. 

"Why are you on bedrest? Are you alright?" Ville asked with concern in his voice.

Mige sat forward at Ville's questions.

"I'm fine. I was just cramping really bad and mom had to bring me to the hospital a few weeks ago. They thought I was losing the baby, but it was just stress." Klara replied.

"Oh, Klara." Ville whimpered, "It was my fault.

"Don't cry, Ville. We're both fine. It's just a delicate time in the pregnancy. It's the size of a raspberry now though." Klara said in a reassuring voice.

A couple of stray tears rolled down Ville's cheek. He hadn't been there for her. She could have lost their baby and he realized that it would have broken him, even more so. Especially because he felt like it would have been wholly his fault.

"I'm so sorry, Klara. I wasn't there." Ville sobbed.

"Shhh, don't cry, Ville." Klara soothed.

"Nothing happened between me and her, Klara. Please, just believe me." Ville begged.

"Ville. I got your emails." Klara sighed, "It's just hard for me to believe. I know what I heard."

"If you got my emails, then you know it was Jonna." Ville sighed, "She tried to crawl back, Klara. After you hung up I told her about you and the baby. She stormed out. I didn't want it."

There was silence on Klara's end of the line.

"I only wanted you." Ville urged, "I still only want you. You are my heaven on this shitty earth."

There was a pause on both ends of the line.

"Go on." Klara laughed.

"And I love you, Klara Leonore Stocke." Ville giggled. 

"I'm sorry, Ville. I'm having a hard time with this. I believe you but-I. Well, my insecurities keep getting the best of me. I love you so much that it terrifies me." Klara responded, starting to whimper, "And damn these fucking hormones." 

"You have nothing to be terrified of, Klara. I promise. You are the mother of my child. I want you to be my wife." Ville stammered. 

"What?" Klara asked, in surprised voice.

"Yes. I've been thinking about it. I just wanted to wait until I could prove it wasn't just because I got you pregnant." Ville replied, nervously.

"I don't know what to say, Ville. I mean, I think we should wait because of how soon it is. We also still need to work things out but one day, I would love to be." Klara responded.

"I think you just made me the happiest man." Ville whispered.

"I've missed you, Ville. I'm sorry that I haven't responded to your emails but I'm supposed to keep my stress levels low until we're out of the danger zone and I just-" Klara paused, "Thought it was for the best. I thought I could do it on my own." 

Tears sprang to Ville's eyes. 

"I would never want you to do it on your own. I love you and the baby so much, already. You are my home." Ville whimpered. 

"Please don't cry, Ville. I'll fly out to meet you when I'm able to. I promise." Klara comforted, "I have my first real appointment coming up this next Tuesday."

"It's just so good to hear your voice, Klara." Ville sniffled, "I'm sorry that I am so emotional. Mige drug me up to the cabin and we've been drinking."

"No need to apologize." Klara laughed, "I get a bit emotional when I drink too, but you need to go have a good time with Mige."

"I want to talk to you." Ville pleaded.

"We have plenty of time for that later, go have fun, and be safe. I love you." Klara laughed.

"I'll call you when I get back to Helsinki, my love. I love you, Klara." Ville beamed.

"I love you too, Ville." Klara replied.

Ville hung up the phone and handed it back to Mige, still in shock from how well it went. Mige had a smirk on his face and so did Linde sitting next to him. Ville knew what was going to come out of Mige's mouth before he even opened it.

"Told ya so, mate." Mige laughed, "How is She? You had me on the the edge of my seat."

"She's on bed rest. Her stress levels got too high and they had to bring her to the hospital but she and the baby are fine. She said she the first doctors appointment is coming up next Tuesday." Ville smiled.

"There's your chance." Mige responded, "You should fly in for it. Really make up for how shitty things have been going."

"But what about recording?" Ville asked.

"You've done enough the past couple of weeks. Come in with us a couple more days when we get back and then go to her. You deserve the time off." Mige smiled, "Now let's get plastered."

"To new beginnings!" Linde cheered.

"To new beginnings!" Ville and Mige responded, Chugging the rest of their beers.

His world had been flipped upside down the past couple of weeks, but as he sat down around the bonfire he started with his friends, he felt whole again. For the first time in a while, his world felt right again. He would fly out to surprise her next Sunday and go with her to the appointment Tuesday. 

It felt good to smile again. He and his friends talked about what was to come in life and careers until they ran out of beer in the wee hours of the morning and all stumbled off to bed. 

Ville staggered into one of the bedrooms, collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes. Klara was the last thought that crossed his mind before dozing off. 

For the first time in weeks, he was looking forward to the next day.

 

"You have to go through the depths of Hell occasionally to appreciate the glimpse of heaven that's put in front of you.- Ville Valo


	17. Into the night.

"All seems to be developing normally and right on schedule for 12 weeks. There's a strong little heartbeat, and there's the baby's little fingers and toes." The ultrasound tech showed Klara cheerfully. 

Klara smiled, watching the baby wiggle on the screen. She quickly sent Ville a video of the ultrasound. In the past few weeks she watched her body slowly begin to change. She was just starting to show and Lina squeeled the first time she saw Klara's bump.

Thankfully the doctor let her off of bed rest after her last appointment and Klara was able to paint more and take walks with Ethan in the evenings. They talked about life, Ville and what had been going on with them both. She kept her parents out of their issues as much as she could but Ethan had caught the gist of it.

"So how are you and Ville doing nowadays?" Ethan asked.

"We're actually really good. We stay in touch as much as we can. He usually texts me in the morning and calls me every night after a show." Klara answered wistfully.

"That's good to hear. I've been worried about you, kiddo." Ethan stated.

"I know, dad." Klara Sighed, "But everything's fine now."

"I believe you. I trust your judgement, Klara. I can't help but worry, just in a father's nature." Ethan giggled.

Klara just nodded. They walked in silence down the quiet street for a some time, taking in the cool fall air. This was the longest Klara was home in a few years and she missed it more than she thought. 

After Hannah died she did her best to do things they talked about doing when they finished college. Traveling was always at the top of their list. She didn't see much point in sticking around with her closest friend gone. Sure, Klara had other friends but they were acquaintances compared to Hannah. She was the only person Klara ever let her walls down with. 

Now she had Ville, but there was always a part of herself that she felt was missing.

It was still terrifying doing all of this without her there. She would have been so excited about the baby and now Klara felt like she had no one to share that excitement with. She never gave herself time to make new friends, much less a best friend.

She knew it was her hormones getting the best of her but she started to tear up. She tried to hide it from Ethan the best she could but she began to sniffle. Ethan turned to look at her and a worried expression spread across his face. 

He stopped walking and asked, "Are you sure everything is alright with you and Ville?" 

"Yeah, I just, I was thinking about Hannah. She would have have been so excited." Klara broke into sobs.

Ethan immediately held his weeping daughter.

"I know, sweetheart." He soothed, "Me and your mom were talking about her today. But you know damn well she would have fussed you for crying."

"I know. It's just so hard with the hormones. I feel so alone." Klara answered, catching her breath.

"You aren't alone in this, Klara. You never will be. You have me, your mom, and even the skinny man. When he isn't being a dipshit." Ethan laughed.

Klara laughed. Her dad always had his own special way of doing that, even when she was at her lowest. She didn't know what she'd without him.

The next morning Klara rose with the sun, to her annoyance. She decided to take advantage of the morning light and went onto the back porch to work on her painting. It had been coming along but she still wasn't quite satisfied with it. 

She was working on the moonlit sky when Ethan abruptly walked out with a newspaper in his hand. He handed it to her with a twinkle in his eye without saying anything. Klara unfolded it and scanned the page.

"What am I looking for here, dad?" She asked.

"Right there, in front of your nose. They're opening a new art gallery down town in couple of weeks." Ethan beamed.

"That's great, but why are you looking at me like that?" Klara laughed.

"I read that they're looking for local artists to put their paintings and sculptures in the gallery." Ethan added.

"Oh, dad. The painting isn't even that good. It's just to pass the time. It's not even finished." Klara sighed.

"You underestimate yourself." Ethan huffed, "I think you should at least try. It couldn't hurt anything. The gallery isn't opening for another couple of weeks." 

"I guess you're right. I'll see how I feel about it when I've finished it." Klara smiled.

"You know I'll be bugging you about it until then." Ethan laughed.

Klara's phone vibrated on her lap after Ethan walked back inside. She unlocked her phone to see a text from Ville.

"Only a week left of touring, my love. I received the ultrasound video, surprised this crap phone let it go through. I can't believe this is actually happening. I miss you so much. Let me know how you're feeling when you wake up. I love you." 

Klara's eyes wrinkled up with her smile. She didn't know what She would do without those good morning texts. They kept her going on the days she felt like she couldn't, just like the life fluttering inside of her.

A week later she had put the final touches on her painting. She was still being hypercritical about it but Ethan and Lina reassured her that it was one of her best ones yet. She didn't believe them but she decided against her better judgment and nerves to bring it down to the gallery to see what they thought.

They loved it. 

They wanted to hang it as part of the grand opening exhibit. She was over the moon. She rushed home to tell her parents and they were just as excited, if not more so. 

"I told you." Ethan smirked.

"Oh, hush, Ethan. I'm so happy for you." Lina beamed.

"I'm still in shock." Klara laughed.

After finding out she was pregnant, Klara felt like her life was on a complete standstill. Constant traveling like she used to at this point would be impossible and she felt like she lost a part of herself. She was always artistic in many ways but painting never felt like an option as a possible career until now. She had what she felt like was a new found purpose.

The night of the gallery opening Klara's nerves began to get the best of her. Her hands were sweating and she was doing her best to take deep breaths. No matter the amount of reassurance from her parents, her art was actually going to be out there.

For people to see.

She slipped on a dark blue, floor length, V-neck dress and a Merlot coloured Cardigan. She stared at herself in the mirror. You could just barely see where she was starting to show, but for once she didn't think she looked half bad. 

Her nerves began to bubble up again in the car with her parents on their way to the opening. She felt like she was going to be sick so she leaned her head back on the head rest and tried to think of absolutely anything else. Ville flashed through her mind, she wished he could be here. 

Nerves finally somewhat settled, Klara and her parents walked into the exhibit. The owners greeted Klara with warm smiles and handshakes.

"I'm so glad you're here. Please, have a look around. You're painting is right around the corner, to your left." The owner smiled and shook Klara's hand.

"Thank you so much." Klara Smiled back.

She inhaled deeply and walked towards where her painting was displayed. There it was. Hanging for everyone to see. There was already a small group of people standing around it. She couldn't help but feel vulnerable in that very moment but everyone was smiling and talking about the details of the painting.

She turned to Ethan and he winked.

"I told you, kid. You're more talented then you give yourself credit for." Ethan beamed, "I'm gonna go find your mom and see if there's anything to eat in this place." 

After a while the crowd went their separate ways to check out the rest of the exhibit. Klara stood in front of her work and for once admire what she had accomplished. She smiled to herself.

Then she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Klara, it's beautiful."

It couldn't be. She turned to see a set of familiar green eyes and crooked grin.

"Ville! What are you doing here?"


	18. Knowing me, knowing you.

"I got a job offer in Washington state." Klara beamed, "I just got the call earlier this morning."

"Oh. Well that's wonderful." Ville forced a smile and looked down at his feet.

"What's wrong, Ville?" Klara asked, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"It's just that, uh, well. I bought you this." Ville reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box. 

Klara knew what was in the box. She didn't even know how to respond. It just wasn't in the plans. Not that she exactly planned her entire life but everything was suddenly overwhelming. 

She had gotten the phone call early in the afternoon, before Ville even showed up to surprise her. Two art dealers were in town and got an early peak at the art gallery. They called and  were interested in more of Klara's work and the consideration for her of a job in Washington was in the conversation.

She was still early enough in her pregnancy where she actually considered the move. What she hadn't done was stop to consider Ville's feelings about the matter. Ville had been sitting quietly, fiddling with his finger and avoiding looking at her when he spoke up.

"Klara. That's halfway around the world from me." He almost whispered.

"It's an opportunity for me, Ville. I can still have a career." Klara stated, pushing back tears.

Ville cleared his throat. Klara could see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"We can still make this work, Ville." Klara quavered. 

The tears that gathered in Ville's eyes spilled over and ran down his cheeks. He slipped the small box back into his pockets before he spoke.

"I don't think we can, Klara. I'm constantly on the road around the world. For fucks sake, my home is in Finland." Ville answered.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Klara didn't know what to say. Ville stood up abruptly. 

"Where are you going? Klara asked, wiping her eyes.

"For a walk." Ville replied, walking out and slamming the front door behind him. 

Klara wasn't expecting him to react this way, but she wasn't expecting him to buy her a ring either. She realized she had never saw him angry before. She pulled on her sweater and went outside to sit on the porch. She sat on the swing and inhaled deeply. Where were they supposed to go from here. 

After sitting on the swing for the better part of an hour Ville walked onto the porch and sat next to her on the swing. 

"I'm flying back home tonight." He muttered.

"What? Why? You just got here." Klara whimpered.

"I think It's for the best. I-I love you, Klara. Truly, but I only just came into your life. I can't make decisions for you. All I care about is that you and my child are well." Ville responded, evading eye contact. 

"I just want to have a career, Ville. It's not fair to me that you can continue yours and mine stops." Klara stated.

"I understand." Ville whispered,  "I want updates on you and the baby's health."

"You will have them." Klara replied, unwavering.

A cab pulled in front of the house and Klara realized that Ville must have called it earlier. The whole situation hurt to her very core, but she refused to give up on her dreams. She couldn't, just like he couldn't.

Ville stood up and opened the front door to grab his only bag that sat near the entrance. He tossed the strap over his shoulder and approached Klara. He knelt down in front of her and for the first time in over an hour maintained eye contact.

"I love you, Klara. I've loved you since the first time I saw you outside of that coffee shop in Helsinki, and I love our child. I want you to do good." Ville whispered, his voice cracking.

Klara only stared back in reply. She was at a complete loss for words. Ville put his hand behind Klara's neck and pulled her close to gently place a kiss on her forehead. Klara watched him walk to the cab and close the door behind him. 

She squeezed her eyes shut but the tears still came. She wiped her cheeks and her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater and sat in silence, watching the cab leave. All she could hear was the wind rustling the leaves and the hum of the cab engine as it slowly got quieter and faded into the distance.

She had no idea what to do next. She climbed the stairs and closed the door to her room gently behind her. She sat near the windowsill and stared at the moon. It always made her feel so small and yet in this moment she felt smaller than ever. 

She never meant to set this series of events in motion. Ville came intending to propose and he left with the ring still in his pocket. She never considered he would make such a move so soon, regardless of her pregnancy. Would he have done the same if she wouldn't be?

That was only one of the many questions her anxiety asked. She felt herself spiralling. Had she let her pride take too much control over her decisions? 

It didn't matter it seemed. He left. She knew what her next move should be. 

She'd call the art dealers in the morning about the job. It was time to start over. For her and the baby. 

The Pacific North West was always one of her favorites on the map. She had enough savings to rent until she could find something more permanent in time. It was time. It would be the right move. 

But it felt far from it in that moment.

She laid in bed and contemplated her future. Their future. She already felt like she failed her child. 

Just like that she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.


	19. Weary.

It had been three months. Three months and Ville had been on the road with the band for the past two. Or so he thought. The alcohol blurred the days until they all melded into each other. 

He got on the plane that dark, autumn night and didn't look back. He was completely numbed by the last conversation he and Klara had. His bandmates and friends dealt with his drinking on tour for the first month. After all they were doing the same, but they all realized simultaneously that Ville was seriously spiralling. 

Ville cracked his eyes open and winced at the stream of sunlight that hit his eyes, making his head pound. He tried to roll over but he realized there was a warm weight resting on his arm. He glanced over to see a naked figure and a head of bleached blonde hair laying on his arm. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to remember the events of last night when he remembered the leggy blonde that had been making eyes at him backstage after the show. 

She began to stir when he tried to slowly pull his arm out from underneath her. 

"Good morning." She said in a sleepy voice. 

"Morning." Ville muttered with his back to her as he stood slowly and stretched. 

Ville stumbled to the bathroom for the asprin. He finally managed to find the bottle and shook 3 into his mouth, scooping water from the faucet to wash them down. He leaned his weight onto his outstretched arms that rested on the counter.

He slowly lifted his head to look at his reflection. His skin was ashen, his dark hair was past his chin and a tangled mess. He had the remnants of eyeliner smeared around his bloodshot eyes. 

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't know what he was going to say to the woman in his bed when he went back into the room. To his relief she was already gone by the time he came back out. He sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. 

When he glanced over to the desk he saw the evidence of the previous night's debauchery. Two little white, powdery lines sat next to an empty champagne bottle and a rolled up dollar bill. He sighed and fell back onto the bed.

He thought about Klara. He knew it didn't matter what he did anymore but he couldn't help but feel guilt washing over him. It came in waves day after day. Every time he snorted a random substance or buried his dick into a stranger. 

She had been updating him on the health of the baby and let him know that she had made the move to Washington. The emails were very cold and straight to the point. That bothered him more than anything. She was the mother of his child and they couldn't even have a normal conversation anymore. The last email he received was a week before to tell him that she was giving him a son, along with the ultrasound picture.

He cried. Harder than he had in a long time. He wished he could have been there. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around being a father much less not being with the mother. 

He figured he must have dozed off while thinking when the sudden banging on his hotel room door started. 

"Ville, c'mon! We're late!" Mige yelled through the door. 

Ville hopped off of the bed and pulled on a bunched up pair of jeans that were on the floor and the cleanest looking shirt he could find. He tugged a beanie on his head and shoved his wallet in his back pocket while trying to open the door. Mige had an annoyed look on his face that switched to borderline anger when he glanced over Ville's shoulder into the room and noticed the coke in plain sight on the table.

"Are you fucking serious, Ville?" Mige spat.

"I know, I know. Let's just fucking go." Ville replied, rolling his eyes.

The set went well for how hungover Ville was. Everyone was on point and the crowd ate it up. Ville decided halfway through the set to pull his shirt off and wipe the sweat off of his face with. He didn't give a fuck when a couple of girls threw their bras on stage in reply. He was tired of it all. He loved what he did but he kept letting himself get pulled into the same vicious cycle of the lifestyle over and over. 

"I need rehab, Mige." Ville blurted out backstage. "I can't keep going on this way."

"If that's what you think you need to do, mate." Mige replied, "We only have a week left and then you're free to go for however long you think you need. I'm just glad your coming to your sense before you knock someone else up." 

Ville sat in silence. Mige's comment threw him into a pit of guilt he had been avoiding. Of course he was always safe when he was with the randoms, Klara was the only one he never worried with. He couldn't shake the hollow pit that had been forming in his stomach. 

He hadn't had a drink all day and his emotions were catching up with him. He began to shake when he realized how long it had been since he had actually seen her. He wanted to go and find her when the tour was over but he wasn't in the best shape to do so. He didn't want her to know how hard he had spiralled, again.

The band finished out the tour while Ville tried to keep himself together and he finally got to go home. He hadn't touched a drop of liquor after the conversation he had with Mige. It hurt him to see how little faith his own best friend had in him. His words had stung but he needed to hear them.

He dropped his bags by his door and kicked off his shoes. He collapsed face first on the couch when his phone dinged to alert him of a new email from his back pocket. He knew who it was from before be unlocked his phone and his heart was in his throat. 

Klara was 6 months along and she was sending him an update from her appointment that same day. The baby already noticeably looked like Ville she pointed out in the ultrasound pictures and she sent him a video of him kicking inside of her belly. Ville sat cross legged on his sofa and it felt like it was finally setting in that this was happening. 

That was his child.

He wanted to go to them, but instead of making rash decisions like he always had, he decided to sleep on it. He hopped in the shower to clean what remained of the tour off of his skin before he got into bed. When he got out of the shower he could hear his phone ringing. He scrambled to find it realizing it was still in the back pocket of his jeans. 

To his surprise, it was Klara. 

"Hello?" Ville asked, his heart pounding his chest.

"Ville." Klara stammered, "I can't do this without you."


	20. Hunger.

Be warned; Smut lies ahead. It's not for the faint of heart and I would turn back now if it isn't your thing.

 

"I'll be on the soonest flight I can manage," Ville immediately responded, "I'm coming to you, Klara."

"No. I'm coming to you, Ville." Klara whimpered into the phone. 

She hated feeling feeling as weak as she had been. She was alone. Her new job allowed her more free time than she thought, more time to think and sink into her loneliness. She went and met with the managers of the gallery that she worked for and asked for a couple of weeks off, which they surprisingly allowed, no questions asked.

She dialed and erased Ville's number for the past two days until she finally cracked in a moment of weakness and her finger slipped onto call. She didn't have anything pre planned, just wanted to here his voice. She surprised herself when her voice immediately cracked when he said hello. It was even more surprising when she told him she would go to him. She just wanted to feel safe in his bed with him near her at this point.

She was just about to enter her third trimester and she was willing to haul herself onto a 12 hour plane ride to be with him at this point. So she did. She could hear the surprise and concern in his voice when she told him she was flying over, but she reassured him that everything would be fine. She packed her bags and booked the earliest flight the next morning with plans of Ville meeting her at the airport. The plane ride wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought it would be with no one sitting in the seat next to her and fatigue washing over her, she was able to sleep for 10 hours of the flight. 

Her heart was pounding in her chest when the landing announcements started. Ville had left on a sour note last time they were with each other and they never had the opportunity to mend the situation. She was willing to do so and more now. Now she realized where she wanted to be. She could make her art or her photography work regardless of where she lived. She realized that in all of the time she had to think the past few weeks. She didn't want to be in that damned delivery room without him she had thought to herself more than a hundred times.

She spotted Ville immediately somehow between all of the other towering Finns, eyes darting around nervously with his hands in his pockets. His eyes finally met Klara's and the closer she got she could see more clearly the tears that were threatening to spill over. When she finally reached him, they stared at each other for a few seconds before Ville broke her gaze and his eyes immediately went to her stomach. 

She could tell the pictures and video didn't quite sink in until he actually saw her in person. Her body was well into it's changes and it visibly knocked the wind out of Ville. Her rosy cheeks showed through her olive complexion and it brought out her hazel eyes even more so than normal. After a moment of admiring he pulled Klara into a gentle hug.

"You can squeeze me, you know?" Klara laughed, "He's kicked me so much the past few nights that he deserves a good squeeze."

She felt the rumble in Ville's chest from his laughter when he pulled her into a tighter hug and she pressed her head against his chest. She felt like she was finally at home, and he was feeling the same thing. The mother of his unborn child returning home with him, hopefully for good. 

"We should get going." Klara whispered into his neck, "I want to get into bed."

She watched as goosebumps spread from the feeling of her warm breath on his neck, utterly surprised that it had any effect on him since she felt like she was unattractive and the size of a house. In all actuality the weight she gained was mainly all baby aside from the little he noticed that went to her ass. She battled with her hormones through her second trimester when even a little breeze on the back of her neck had the ability to turn her on, it had seemingly followed her into her third.

You could cut the thickness of the air between them with a knife on the cab ride back to his house. It took all of 15 minutes but it felt like an eternity to her. Klara waited impatiently as Ville fumbled with his keys to unlock his front door, he laughed when he looked back at her and she gave a goofy smile while her teeth chattered from the breeze. 

She immediately shrugged off her jacket on the sofa and began to pull him up his stairs and into his bedroom, not that it took much convincing to get Ville to follow. Ville backed her up to his bed while their lips immediately began relearning each other. Ville cupped one of her breasts and began gently squeezing while his hand slipped down to the hem of the dress she had on until his fingers found their way underneath and to the warmth of her core. Ville's pupils were completely blown out when his eyes met hers after feeling her arousal for him coming through the fabric of her panties. She gasped into his neck when one of his fingers found it's way under the fabric and made contact with her. He slowly pushed in one of his fingers and began to lose control of his breathing when he realized she was even tighter than what he remembered. His lips desperately crashed back into hers. 

She helped him pull her dress over her head and he had her lie back on the bed, getting a good look of how her body changed since the last time he saw her nude. He couldn't help but feel a strange feeling of possessiveness over her in that moment, it finally completely setting in that she was carrying his child. He wanted every inch of her. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was ragged. His eyes and hands ran along the soft skin on her hips and down to her thighs. He gently pushed her legs apart and inhaled deeply when he saw how aroused she was for him. Klara herself was losing her grip.

"Fuck me, Please. I need you." Klara gasped, "I missed you so much."

Ville lost it at her words. He quickly pulled her ass to the edge of the bed and fumbled with unbuttoning his pants with one hand while his other thumb rubbed gentle circles over her clit, pulling a moan from her throat. He urgently pulled himself from his pants and lined himself up with her entrance. 

"Are you ready for me?" Ville asked in a breathy voice, biting his lip with impatience. 

Please was all Klara managed out before he gripped her thighs and pushed her legs back, slowly pushed hinself into her. He groaned when he bottomed out. He was as gentle as possible with his thrusts because he was scared to hurt her. She seemed so fragile to him. This in return got a reaction of "harder" being asked sternly by her. 

"I don't want to hurt you, Klara." Ville frowned.

"Here." Klara replied, changing positions and pushing Ville onto his back. 

She straddled him and lined him up with her entrance and sank down onto him. She began to slowly work on her rhythm until she was bouncing what would seem impossibly fast on his cock. He was almost in a daze, mesmorized by the way her cleavage looked when she bounced. Eventually they made eye contact and the hunger in her eyes made it hard for Ville to catch his breath. Klara kept up her pace until she felt the warmth spreading through her core. She began to contract and that familiar feeling in her stomach started to build. She chanted his name as she crashed down over and over again to ride out her orgasm. Ville wasn't far behind her when she tightened around him, causing him to spill himself inside of her. 

Klara collapsed back onto the bed and they both lay with shoulders touching and trying to catch their breath. They shared a smile and Klara pressed her lips to his cheek. After Ville finally caught his breath he rolled over on his side to face her. He slowly placed his hand on her middle. This was the first time in months he had been able to feel her growing stomach. He pulled his hand back suddenly, surprise in his eyes when he felt movement.

"He kicked you." Klara giggled, her smile reaching all the way up and crinkling the corners of her eyes.

"My little Maha-asukki." Ville laughed, "Have you thought of any names yet, sweetheart?" 

"I've had ideas but I would rather us pick one together." Klara smiled.

"What about Tšernobog." Ville asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"I'm not even going to entertain you by asking how that's spelled." Klara laughed. 

Ville let out one of his signature obnoxious laughs and Klara could only about imagine what the name meant. Ville wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. They lay with their limbs tangled and Klara fell asleep quickly in the warmth of his arms, her exhaustion quickly catching up with her. 

Ville laid awake a while longer, watching her chest slowly move up and down as she slept. Her face looked peaceful and he didn't want to forget this moment. The moment he realized he didn't need any of the bullshit he was previously doing on the road, he just needed what slept in his arms. Klara let out a snore and he had to stifle a laugh so he wouldn't wake her up. He finally fell into his own sleep head resting on her shoulder and nose pressed up against her cheek. 

He dreamt of the times that lay ahead, stress finally releasing it's grip. 

 

Maha-asukki- Womb Dweller.

Tšernobog- Black God.


	21. Warmth.

The contractions came on vague, barely even a pulling sensation that Klara could bring herself to complain about. Ville had been in and out of the house for the past few weeks, spending a majority of his time at the studio while his so called "creative juices" were flowing. Klara had transferred to a doctor in Finland seeing as how she was too far along to head back to Washington now.

Klara was sitting on Ville's back deck painting when the pains started to come in waves closer together. She realized what was happening and started to time them. The closer together they got the more painful. She couldn't ignore it anymore. It was happening whether she was ready or not. She hated to call Ville and pull him from his art but she wasn't going to have the baby alone.

"Hello? Ville answered, sounding a bit disheveled.

"It's time." Klara blurted, trying to control her breathing.

"Holy shit, I'm on my way. Hold tight, my love." Ville into before hanging up.

It was less than 20 minutes when Mige and Ville pulled up out front. Ville slammed the front door open, nearly pulling it off of the hinges and high tailed it up the stairs. He found Klara out of breath and shoving things into a bag that she thought she would need, having not packed one yet because she was a couple of weeks shy of her due date. 

"Klara, I can come back for whatever you need. We need to get you in the car immediately." Ville scooped her up and carried her down the stairs, "We don't want you having the baby on the floor because you forgot to pack a pair of knickers."

The entire car ride to the hospital was a complete blur for Klara, aside from the breathing exercises she learned and a few tears shed from both her and Ville. Ville helped her out of the car in front of the hospital and even though she kept telling him to calm down he kept shouting in Finnish for a doctor until they finally wheeled her into a room. One of the few moments of calmness was when they shared a laugh after she changed into her hospital gown and proceeded to moon him when the nurses walked out. Klara tossed Ville her cellphone that she had haphazardly tossed into her overnight bag and made him call her parents to let them know their grandchild was about to make his entrance. 

Ethan tried to hold back his emotions when Ville told him the situation but his voice cracked when he told him that they were booking their plane tickets as soon as they hung up and they'd be there by the next night. Ville heard Lina squeal at the news in the background and couldn't help but crack a smile. He hung up the phone and went to be by Klara's side when the doctor finally walked in. He explained to Ville and Klara that she was almost dilated enough to begin pushing, they would give her a half hour before they would come back in to check her again.

Ville climbed into the hospital bed to be near her and wiped the tears that were clouding her hazel eyes and falling down her cheeks. She was scared but she wasn't sure of what at the time. Ville pressed his nose against her neck and started rubbing the back of her neck, attempting to calm her down. He was scared himself but he couldn't begin to imagine what she was going through. 

"My parents are in the waiting room and yours are on the next flight that they can find." Ville said barely above a whisper.

Klara just nodded and sniffled. She wasn't making eye contact with him but he knew she was in pain and her emotions were pretty erratic. She finally pushed her face into the crook of his neck and whispered "I love you."

"That's a relief. I thought you were finally beginning to hate me." Ville chuckled, running his hand through her long tangled hair and placing a kiss on her forehead. 

"I only hate you a little right now." Klara chuckled back and groaned immediately afterwards. 

The doctor and two nurses came back into the room to check her and Ville scooted out of the bed and stood to the side near her head. He cringed when he saw what exactly he meant by "checking" her and Klara let a pain filled sob slip. Now he really did feel guilty for putting her in this position. Her pain was his fault.

"It's time, Klara." The doctor urged through a thick accent, "You should try to push."

A nurse walked to one side of Klara and lifted her leg to hold it back and motioned for Ville to do the same on his side. Ville felt like he could faint but he pushed through and heldher leg when the doctor directed her the push. Klara let out faint scream and Ville moved to push her sweat soaked hair out of her face. 

5 more minutes of pushing and a couple of breaks before the sounds of healthy cries filled the room. Ville was the first to see their child, long and round eyes wide open as he wailed for the first time. Klara leaned back out of breath and exhausted when the doctor placed the baby boy on her chest for the first time. Tears filled her eyes at the sight of him and when she looked at VIlle she wasn't sure what reaction she expected him to have but it wasn't much different than her own. Ville wiped his cheeks when the doctor asked him if he wanted to cut the cord, which he did even though he was sure his hands were too shaky. 

Aari Ethan Valo was born to two parents that weren't in the slightest expecting him but they were absolutely in love with him at fist sight. After they cleaned him up and brought him back to them they laid in bed together wide eyed, absolutely amazed by the little creature that was already a spitting image of his father even though his little face was still swollen. 

"Well, I guess that rules out the milkman." Klara joked. 

Ville let out a loud laugh and Klara giggled, shushing him. She handed him his son to hold for the first time right at the moment his parents were walking through the door. Ville's eyes were crinkled from his wide smile and both of his parents were misty eyed. Ville walked over with the swaddled child and let his mother hold him first while his dad walked around the hospital bed to congratulate Klara and give her a kiss on her forehead. Both of his parents took their turns holding and blubbering over the baby before they left to let the new parents rest. Ville scooted back into the bed with Klara after she fed the baby.

They laid together, whispering I love you's and just watched Aari sleep. Ville stood up to stretch his legs when he felt the familiar weight of he had been carrying around in his pocket for the last couple of weeks. Ville pulled out the little black box and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What's that?" Klara inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Something I've had for a while now. " Ville replied vaguely, his back still facing her, "I feel now is the right time to give it to you."

"Well, what is it? Klara asked nervously.

Ville fiddled with the small silver band that held a small uncut diamond. He picked the diamond himself because it was unique looking. Unique and beautiful like the person he had in mind.

He turned to face her and held the ring in his fingers where she could see it clearly. 

"Oh my goodness, Ville." Klara went wide eyed, "That's beautiful."

"I had it made for you months ago." Ville smiled, tears welling up in his eyes when they met hers, "I want you to marry me, Klara."

"Yes. Of course, Ville." She finally managed out through the haze of emotions.

Klara stared in disbelief. What a turn a day that started average took. Her chest shook from the laugh she let out through the happy tears. For the first time in years she was truly brimming with happiness. As intimidating of an idea marriage has always been to her, it just felt right. She was any other emotion but terrified. Ville pulled her free hand gently to himself and slid the ring on her ring finger and gently kissed her hand. He looked up just in time for her lips to crash into his. She still held the sleeping baby against her who, to her relief, didn't wake up. Ville gently picked him up and placed him in the baby bed near the hospital bed. He watched his sleeping son for some time, still not believing they brought him into the world together. 

Now they would all be together forever. 

Ville slipped back into the bed near Klara and they stared at each other for a few moments before both breaking into smiles. Klara pulled his hand to her and kissed it. Ville pushed her her hair off of her face and laid on his side so he could see her. Their eyes rarely left each others.

"I love you to the moon and back." Whispered Klara.

"I love you to the farthest reaches of outer space and my love orbits you every day, Klara Leonore."


	22. Epilogue.

5 years have passed.

They married the spring after they had their son. The entire family was there, with Klara's parents flying in and even her beloved friend Hannah's dear mother made it.

It was a cool sunny day when Klara made her way down the aisle, arm in arm with Ethan. Tears couldn't help but slip from Klara's eyes when they met Ville at the end, kneeling near little Aari who served as the ring bearer. Aari looked more and more like Ville with every week that passed. He had the same little upturned nose, alabaster skin, and green mischievous eyes.

She was so proud of her family. Her and Ville managed through the sleepless nights, trials and errors of being new parents and balancing their love for each other. They were so happy being parents and with each other that they decided on their honeymoon on the Greek island of Kos they would begin to try for another when they returned home.

They quickly learned to balance both of their careers with parenting, not that they had a choice. Klara quickly sold the house she bought in Washington and emailed her bosses the day after she had Aari that she wasn't going back. She got a job when Aari was old enough at the small bookstore she fell in love with on her first trip to Helsinki. She painted more for the love of it after having the baby, many mornings when he was still an infant slung in wrap on her chest while her brushes moved across the canvas.

Ville and the band agreed on less touring and more time in the studio. It worked out for everyone because they were all quickly becoming married men and father's, no one wanted to be away for extended amounts of time. Struck with so much inspiration from his newfound love and happiness Ville's creativity was at an all time high.

Two years after having Aari, one year after getting married and after a steamy drunken date night rendezvous in a bar bathroom they found out they were expecting their second child. The pregnancy went so much smoother than her first, no morning sickness and Ville was by her side through the entirety of the 9 months and 2 weeks. At first Aari didn't understand the concept of siblings but by the end of the pregnancy he would lay his head on Klara's belly and poke it saying "Sister" whenever they cuddled.

Hana was born a couple of weeks past her due date but the labor was much easier than her first to the relief of Klara. She waited for Ville to get back from the bathroom to hold her hand and 4 pushes later their daughter entered the world screaming.

She was already so much different than her brother. She had dark hair, her mother's dark complexion and a louder personality from the very beginning. Ville cried tears of joy the first time he held Hana for Aari to see and her older brother immediately kissed her cheek.

For the next few years they went through potty training the two kids, all of the usual firsts and Aari starting school. Ville cried when he returned home from dropping him off the first day he had to leave Aari, his son stared at him with tears in his eyes and waved when he saw his dad leaving. Klara comforted Ville and told him that there would be days like that but they'll get through them together.

One Saturday night all 4 of them were around dinner table eating spaghetti that Klara made from scratch for everyone and Ville couldn't help but look at his family and smile. Aari was 5 and was shoveling his "pasghetti" into his mouth and Hana was in her high chair, hair in pigtails and chasing a noodle around with her small hands. Klara sat to his right with a smile on her face watching Hana. He could even swear Klara was glowing.

The family had dessert and an hour later Klara succesfully tucked the little ones into bed. All was quiet in their house with the exception of the tv quietly humming the opening credits for the movie they picked out together. Ville met Klara on the couch with a glass of wine for each. 

"Oh, no thank you, Ville." Klara put the glass down on the coffee table and smiled, "I'm already so tired."

"Are you sure?" Ville asked, raising an eyebrow.

Klara nodded and Ville poured her glass into his, shrugging his shoulders. She had a hungry look in her eye when his met hers again and before he could react Klara was at his neck kissing him down to his bare chest and stomach. He could feel her breath on him and he immediately put his glass down. He lifted Klara's face and weaved his fingers in her hair and pulled her face to his.

It wasn't often that they had alone time so they jumped at any chance for intimacy. His tongue found it's way into her mouth he turned her body, bending her over the arm of the couch. He hurriedly pushed her panties to the side and groaned when he was met with her arousal. He quickly pulled himself out of his pajama pants and sunk himself into her. He tried to be gentle but he couldn't hold himself back when her moans filled the air in response to his quick thrusting, he gripped her hips and he knew he was leaving bruises on them. She looked over her shoulder at him and he let out a series of groans in response to the look of pleasure written on her face. It wasn't long before he felt her tightening around him and the burning in his stomach told him he wasn't far behind her. She went silent and he felt her beginning to throb around him. He knew she had came, so he finally let go of the grip he had on himself and released inside of her. He was leaning on her back out of breath when she finally turned around to look at him and she was in the same state. They both laughed before he sat back and put himself back into his pants and she straightened herself out. She rested her head back on the arm he had stretched out behind her on the couch. She had a smile plastered on his face but his looked more serious.

"What's wrong, Ville?" She frowned.

"I forgot the condom." He sighed, "I'm sorry, I got carried away."

"I know and It's ok." She kissed his cheek, and mumbled, "A bit late for that now anyways."

"What do you mean?" Ville looked at her, surprise on his face, "Are you-"

"Yes." Klara smiled.

"But how?" Ville asked, shock in his voice, "We were careful."

"Remember that quickie when you met me for lunch at work?" She play grimaced.

"Oh, wow." Ville laughed, pulling her to him with a look of shock and awe still on his face, "I'm going to have three kids."

"Indeed, daddy." She nuzzled his nose with hers.

"How long have you known?" Ville asked.

"I took 4 tests yesterday morning while Aari was at school and you took Hana to the park." Klara laughed.

"I knew it looked like you were glowing." He smiled, squeezing her even tighter to him.

They had been using condoms since they had Hana. They hated it but they weren't sure when they wanted to have their third and because Klara was apparently a fertile Mertyl. The one time he didn't have one on him, he said screw it and here they were for a third time.

But they were both elated. Here they were about to go through this crazy experience again. She leaned her head on his shoulder while he held her with his cheek resting on her head.

"I'm so happy that I found you, Klara." He whispered to her.

"I hate to think where I'd be without you. Or our babies." Klara sighed.

"You don't have to," Ville pulled her face to where her lips were almost touching his, " You're always going to have me, and our babies."

Their lips met and Klara felt that same spark she felt the very first time she kissed him. The series of events that followed their meeting and their meeting itself was unexpected and they had rocky moments but neither ever felt right without the other. She laid her head back on his chest and quickly fell into a deep sleep. She let out a small snore like she always did and Ville chuckled quietly to himself, watching her sleeping head bob on his chest.

He felt contented. He felt safe. He felt happy. He hoped she felt the very same but he knew she did. She showed him in little ways every day. He ran his hand through her dark hair and gently kissed her forehead.

This was unexpected but not everything unexpected is bad.

This was their happy ending.

Each other.

The End. 

 

Thank you all that have read and stuck it out for the ending. This story was 9 years in the making and I'm sad to see it end but I love my Klara and I'm glad I got to give her a happy ending.

But you know I couldn't end it without one more smutty scene. 💁🏻♀️


End file.
